As the search for a partially collapsed 12-story building near Miami continued, the confirmed death toll rose to nine.

More bodies were pulled from the ruins Partially collapsed 12-story building Near Miami, Florida, the death toll caused by the incident increased to at least 9 people on Sunday, and more than 150 people are still missing.

Since the collapse of an apartment in Surfside, a neighborhood of Miami, in the early hours of Thursday morning, emergency workers have continued to search for potential survivors. A team of experts from Israel and Mexico also joined the search.

The mayor of Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, told reporters on Sunday that the death toll had risen to nine, and one of the victims died in the hospital.

“We were able to find four other bodies and additional human remains in the rubble. As of today, one victim has passed away in the hospital, and we have found eight…victims at the scene,” she said in a press release Said at the meeting.

“So, I confirmed the death toll as nine people today. We have identified four victims and notified their close relatives.”

As emergency workers continue to screen among the rubble-this process was hindered on Saturday Fire burning in the ruins – The problem continues to revolve around what caused the apartment to collapse.

On Saturday, US media reported that a 2018 engineering report warned that the building was on a concrete slab with “major structural damage” that required extensive repairs. The same report also found that the concrete columns, beams, and walls of the parking lot had “cracked and peeled off a lot.”

But it is not clear what caused the crash.

Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro reported from Surfside that six to eight rescue teams were working in the rubble, and hundreds of other workers were on standby. “Of course, there are a lot of sensitivities here… I still hope that more survivors will be buried underneath,” she said.

“We have now passed 80 hours from the collapse, so although rescuers have made some progress in recovering the corpse, the news here is not good.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Saturday that officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency have joined the ranks of local and state authorities.

DeSantis added that the “sister building” of a nearby collapsed tower is also under consideration because it was built at the same time and has the same design. A voluntary evacuation order has been issued for another building, and the inspectors did not find any obvious problems.

Fire Chief Allen Kominsky told reporters on Sunday that the situation is still “extremely difficult” but the search and rescue team is working “uninterrupted”.

Kominsky said: “We are doing everything we can, doing everything we can, hopefully, to see if we can find a living victim,” adding that heavier equipment including cranes has been Brought in. “We continue, and our search will be revised throughout the process,” he said.

At the same time, the families and relatives of the missing residents of the building continued to wait anxiously for news. The families of some missing persons provided DNA samples to officials, while others recounted their escape experiences.

The police released the names of four victims, ranging in age from 54 to 83 years old.

A woman on the beach prays near the building, and emergency rescuers continue the search and rescue operation [Marco Bello/Reuters]

When the building collapsed, its resident Erick de Moura should go home, but his girlfriend persuaded him to spend the night at her house less than 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Miami Beach, which may have saved His life.

“There is only God. For me, this is a miracle,” the 40-year-old Brazilian told Reuters.