Miami Condo Was Previously Flagged For 'Major Structural Damage'

The Champlain Towers in the Surfside town of Miami-Dade County were previously flagged for "major structural damage" nearly three years prior to Thursday's (June 24) deadly partial collapse.

A structural field survey report conducted by an engineer in October 2018 revealed evidence of "major structural damage" to the concrete slab below the pool deck and "abundant" cracking and crumbling of the columns, beams and walls of the parking garage under the building, the New York Times reports.

The field survey led to plans for a multimillion-dollar repair project that was scheduled to begin soon -- more than two and a half years after the building managers received a warning -- prior to the collapse on Thursday.

The complex's management association had disclosed some of the problems following the incident on Thursday, but the full nature of the concrete and rebar damage was not made public until the 2018 report was released by city officials on Friday (June 25).

“Though some of this damage is minor, most of the concrete deterioration needs to be repaired in a timely fashion,” the consultant, Frank Morabito, wrote about damage to the building in the 2018 report.

Morabito didn't give any indication that the structure was at risk of collapse, but did note that it needed repairs in order to maintain "the structural integrity" of the building and its 136 condos.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava confirmed four people have died and a total of 159 individuals are unaccounted for in relation to the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South Condo, a 12-story Surfside condominium, in the Surfside town of Miami-Dade County.

"We will continue search and rescue because we still have hope that we will find people alive," Mayor Levine Cava said.

The bodies of three more victims were located at the site, bringing the death toll to four, after it was initially reported that one person was confirmed to have died in the collapse on Thursday (June 24).

Mayor Levine Cava also confirmed a total of 120 individuals have been accounted for in relation to the collapse.

Officials told NBC Miami that residents were being moved to the Surfside Community Center and all streets in the area of the collapse were closed.

The Champlain Towers South Condos are located at 8777 Collins Avenue and were built in 1981.