State of emergency declared following Florida building collapse

President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency that triggers federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts. As a result, the USA’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is being brought in to help in the aftermath of the collapse.

Crews from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue are working around the clock searching for signs of life in the rubble of the Champlain Towers apartment building. Over 100 people escaped with 99 remaining unaccounted for – though some of those may not have been in building.

Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, speaking at a briefing on the collapse, described the “the building coming down like this inexplicably” as a tragedy without precedent.

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