Miami building collapse - Death toll hits nine as more than 150 people still missing after apartment tower crumbled

THE death toll from the Miami building collapse hit nine as more than 150 people are still missing after the apartment tower crumbled.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levin Cava confirmed the death toll, which was up from five, in an announcement on Sunday.

"As of today, one victim passed away in the hospital, and we've recovered eight more victims on-site, so I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine," she said.

The identites of the four new victims were released on Sunday night by Miami-Dade Police.

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They were named as Luis Bermúdez, 26; his mother Anna Ortiz, 46; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; and Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74.

Bermúdez's family confirmed his death in a social media post as they mourned his loss.

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He was described as a "silent warrior" after battling against muscular dystrophy and using a wheelchair to set up his own clothing business.

“My Luiyo. You gave me everything,” his father, also named Luis Bermúdez, wrote on his Facebook page.

 “I will miss you all my life ... I will never leave you alone.”

“Taking care of us from heaven!,” his aunt Magui Bermúdez said. “Fly high my warrior!!!”

His mother Anna Ortiz was also confirmed among the dead.

Her newlywed husband Frankie Kleiman; Frankie’s mother, Nancy Kress Levin, and his brother Jay Kleiman, are all still missing, according to the Miami Herald.

There are at least 150 people still missing days after a residential building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed on Thursday.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett promised on Sunday that rescue crews will continue working night and day to recover the missing people from the rubble of the Champlain Towers South Condos.

"We are working 24-hours a day non-stop, nothing else on our mind, with the only objective of pulling their family members out of that rubble safely," he said on ABC.

"That's what we're doing and we’re not going to stop doing that, not today, not tomorrow, not the next day. We’re going to keep going until everybody is out."

Miami authorities are conducting an investigation into the condo collapse, though an official cause behind the devastation has yet to be determined.

After the collapse, Cava said there were "structural" issues and said engineers are working to determine the risk and cause of the tragedy.

"There will probably be federal resources involved in the investigation also," Cava said.

The building was built in 1981 and was undergoing roof work for about 30 days before the disaster struck in the early hours of June 24.

A 2018 engineering report done by Morabito Consultants claimed that the building's "failed waterproofing" was causing "major structural damage to the concrete structural slab below these areas."

“Failure to replace the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially," the report stated.

The firm’s report was released by the city of Surfside and reported by The Associated Press. Despite the report's findings, it does not appear to have made any dire warning that there was any imminent danger from the damaged slabs, according to the AP. 

Meanwhile, friends and family of the dozens of people who are still unaccounted for are desperately waiting for answers.

Cava said that she and other officials are working hard to keep those with missing loved ones up to date on rescue efforts.

"We’ve worked really hard to bring information, timely, to family members," the mayor said.

"We want to be sure they don’t learn about it from the news."