A woman trapped in the Miami condo rubble was heard screaming for hours - but sadly, her cries for help went silent before the search team could reach her.
Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky recounted the unsuccessful effort to save the woman on Thursday, July 1 - exactly one week after the Champlain Towers South condo suddenly collapsed.
Cominsky recalled at a news conference, per NBC Miami: "They were searching for a female voice, is what we heard for several hours, and eventually, we didn't hear her voice anymore... we continued to search. And, again, that's emphasizing the magnitude of what we're going through.
"The efforts that all of our fire and rescue personnel, everyone that is here on the scene, trying to do the best we can in these heroic efforts. Unfortunately, we didn't have success."
Thus far, 18 people have been confirmed dead after the building's partial collapse on June 24, and 149 people are still unaccounted for, according to the outlet.
The cause of the deadly crash is still undetermined and an investigation into the tragic affair is ongoing.
Residents of the condo were reportedly made to believe it was in "very good shape" after structural issues were raised back in 2018, per Miami Herald.
However, according to a recent report by USA Today, in October 2020, workers who had been hired to remediate concrete damage at the condo were confronted with excessive deterioration at the site and as such were unable to carry out the work.
At a news conference, the Mayor of the county - Daniella Levine Cava - spoke about the around-the-clock search efforts currently being carried out. She said, according to the New York Post: "We have people waiting, waiting, and waiting for news - that is excruciating."
She added: "We have them coping with the news that they might not have their loved ones come out alive and still hoping against hope that they will. They're learning that some of their loved ones will only come out as body parts."
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited the site of the crash on Thursday as they met with leaders in the state as well as families whose loved ones are still missing days after the collapse of the 12-story condo.
"This is life and death," Biden said at a briefing, per ITV. "We can do it, just the simple act of everyone doing what needs to be done makes a difference."
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