Story at a glance
- Video taken by a tourist shows water gushing into the garage of the Champlain Tower South building and debris scattered around just before the building fell.
- Adriana Sarmiento said she urged residents on their balconies to evacuate the building.
- “For me, it’s been very difficult thinking of everyone who lived there,” Sarmiento told CNN.
Video footage taken from the scene of the condominium building that collapsed last week in Surfside, Fla., shows water pouring into the garage and debris on the floor just minutes before the building gave way, ABC affiliate WLS reports.
Adriana Sarmiento told WLS she and her husband were swimming in the pool at a nearby resort while on vacation when they heard a loud noise coming from the Champlain Tower South building.
They went to investigate what they heard and saw concrete debris littering the garage and water rushing in from the ceiling.
Sarmiento told CNN she watched residents from the building rush to their balconies to see what was going on and she urged them to evacuate, but said she thinks they couldn’t understand her.
Just a few minutes later the building collapsed.
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“For me, it’s been very difficult thinking of everyone who lived there,” Sarmiento told CNN.
At least 18 people have been confirmed dead and 145 people are unaccounted for following the collapse last Thursday.
Crews are continuing to work to locate residents underneath the rubble. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but reports have indicated the building was in dire need of major repairs.
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Published on Jul 01,2021