Ten more bodies have been pulled from the rubble of a Miami building that collapsed two weeks ago, bringing the total death count to 46, authorities have said.
Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members in a private briefing on Wednesday that additional human remains had also been found in the wreckage.
It comes as the search for victims reached its 14th consecutive day.
The search for victims reached its 14th day on Wednesday
Mr Jadallah also revealed that no new “voids” have been discovered so far in areas that became accessible for the first time after the remaining portion of the condo building was demolished on Sunday night.
Rescuers had hoped to find new pockets where there might potentially be survivors.
Crews “did some significant removal of the pile”, he said.
“They were able to get down to various areas to inspect.”
The fire chief also told families that the search and rescue operation continues and has not yet transitioned to a recovery mode.
“We’re not there yet,” he said.
No one has been rescued from the site since the immediate aftermath of the high-rise condominium collapse on June 24 when many residents were asleep.
Emergency teams have been growing increasingly pessimistic as they find no new signs of survival in recent days.
Miami-Dade County fire chief Alan Cominsky said on Tuesday that they were still searching “as aggressively as we can”.
But he added: “Unfortunately, we are not seeing anything positive. The key things – void spaces, living spaces – we’re not seeing anything like that.”
On Tuesday, more than 100 people who were in Champlain Towers South remained unaccounted for.
While still officially a search and rescue, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said families were preparing for confirmation of “tragic loss”.
“I think everybody will be ready when it’s time to move to the next phase,” she said.
She said President Joe Biden, who visited the area last week, called on Tuesday to offer his continued support.
The search is expected to carry on despite the approach of Hurricane Elsa, as Surfside is forecast to avoid the worst of the weather.
