First responders on the scene of the condo building collapsed in Surfside Florida, heard the voice of woman trapped under in rubble, but were unable to save her.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky told reporters on Thursday that they heard the voice for several hours, but they were unable to locate its source.
“Unfortunately, during our initial search-and-rescue efforts…we did hear audible sounds and they were searching for a female voice, it’s what we heard for several hours, and eventually, we didn’t hear her voice anymore,” Cominsky said.
One rescue worker told WPLG Local 10 that the woman was stuck behind a wall of concrete, a dumpster and metal rebar in a lower level of the building that was in the garage.
“Everybody that was there, that’s what we’re trying to do, get this lady out and comfort her. … She was asking for help and she was pleading to be taken out of there,” the first responder said. “We were continuously talking to her. … ‘Honey, we got you. We’re going to get to you.’”
The rescue worker said he was never able to see the woman trapped inside.
“The first thing I remember is thumping on the wall and then I remember her just talking, ‘I’m here, get me out. Get me out,’” he says.
He said rescue crews never abandoned their effort, but they were forced to move back after fire broke out and they knew that the woman had passed.
Eighteen people were confirmed dead as of Thursday including two children ages 4 and 10. 145 people are still unaccounted for.
The search-and-rescue mission was halted on Thursday after rescuers say they heard noises that sparked fears that the remaining building was moving and could crumble.
