Seven Minutes to Collapse

In the only video of the disaster, an entire wing of Champlain Towers South seems to suddenly crash to the ground without warning. But the video doesn’t tell the whole story. The collapse sequence actually took a full seven minutes to unfold, culminating in what was caught on camera. The fifth episode of Collapse: Disaster in Surfside is the first of a two-episode investigation into exactly what happened during those seven minutes, reconstructed through the eyes and ears of key witnesses: a security guard, a tourist, a family of night owls, a couple coming home from dinner, a woman with a guardian angel and a model who watched the structure cave in around her. Split-second decisions meant the difference between life and death. Narrated by journalist Paul Beban. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices