Index – Foreign – A fire is burning under the ruins of a collapsed 12-storey house

A twelve-story condominium collapsed in Miami’s Surfside on Friday morning. News They are around four dead and 159 missing so far. The fire beneath the ruins hampers rescue operations, causing a thick plume of smoke to engulf the area wall street journal. Officials told a news conference Saturday morning that searchers were struggling to contain the fire, but it was difficult to trace as it was eroding deep beneath the ruins. Rescuers use heavy machinery to dig trenches to douse the fire. The goal is to reduce the spread of smoke so that rescue operations can continue.

a cnn he writes aboutThat the relatives of many prominent South American politicians have also disappeared under the ruins. Among them are Paraguay’s first lady, Silvana López Moreira, two cousins ​​and three children. Authorities are also looking for a first cousin of the father of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Besides them, many Colombians, Venezuelans, Uruguayan, Argentine citizens are trapped under the collapsed building and do not know whether they are still alive or not.

Now it turns out that a stabilization expert already in 2018 warned operators about cracked girders and crumbling concrete, writes new York Times. Three years ago an expert opinion found “significant structural damage” in the Champlain Towers South building complex, as well as “extensive” cracks in the support columns and walls of the underground garage.

Although some damages are not dangerous, most damage to concrete structures needs immediate repair.

– Frank Morabito wrote stable in his opinion.

He did not directly suggest that the building was in danger of collapse, although he did say that the necessary repairs were necessary to “preserve the structural integrity” of the building.

The huge cost of renovation has already been planned by the operators, but the delay of more than three years Tragedyto lead.