Pain and anguish grow in South Florida as rescuers try to find survivors after the collapse of the residential Champlain Tower in Surfside. This week, the mother of a 26-years old missing after the tragedy, slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis for answers.
“It impossible that in four days nobody has emerged dead or alive,” the emotional mom insisted after accusing local officials of breaking promises to let Israeli rescue crews aid in the search for victims at Champlain Towers.
“My daughter is 26-years-old, in perfect health, she could make it out of there. Four days have gone by,” the mother said. Israeli rescue teams were supposed to begin helping in the search for survivors last Friday (6/26), but they joined the operations on Sunday.
The mom begged Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for answers, claiming it was in his power to let Israeli crews into the site to help, and that they were being kept out. Similar claims arose in regards to Mexican “topos”, the Spanish word for moles, coming to help in the search efforts.
“I was promised yesterday that the Israeli team was being let in, what is the reason? When will they be there? You promised us, Governor, it’s in your control,” she said. “I want an answer, not a Band-Aid, not a Tylenol, not someone to assuage my pain.”
DeSantis insisted the state wasn’t preventing any international crew from helping. He deflected the issue to the rescue crews on the ground: “They’re welcome to come. It’s an operational decision,” he said.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said local crews were as qualified as teams from other countries, but that the physical constraints of the debris limited the number of rescuers who could be at the site.
When Jadallah promised to “look into” the woman’s claims, she spat back, “Stop looking — do!”
Rescue workers search in the rubble at the Champlain Towers South condominium, Monday, June 28, 2021, in the Surfside area of Miami. Many people are still unaccounted for after the building partially collapsed last Thursday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
At the moment (Saturday 7/3) there are 126 people unaccounted for, the death toll is 22 and 10 days have passed after the collapse of the building, on June 24 around 1:25 a.m. EDT.
