Miami building collapse: Specialists who investigated 9/11 sent to probe disaster site

Nine dead and nearly 160 people unaccounted for

An agency that investigated the fall of the Twin Towers in the wake of 9/11 has been sent to Miami, Florida to gather information on the recent collapse of a condominium tower.

The agency, which includes scientists and engineers who specialise in disastrous structure failures, will be deciding whether to launch a full investigation into last week’s catastrophe.

Nearly 160 people have been left unaccounted for and at least nine people have died after the seaside condominium tower collapsed in Surfside, just north of Miami on Thursday.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been sent to the site to collect first-hand information on the disaster including debris, soil borings, photos and interviews, the Miami Herald reported.

“They will come up with possible failure hypotheses for this type of failure,” Abieyuwa Aghayere, a professor of forensic engineering at Drexel University told the newspaper.

He added: “At first, they won’t rule anything out. They will put everything out on the table.”

Two members of the investigative team arrived in Florida on Friday and four more were due to be there by Monday with the aim of suggesting steps to avoid similar disasters in the future.

Such probes have been known to be incredibly lengthy, with previous investigations taking a couple of years or more.

“We’ll do it as long as it takes,” Jennifer Huergo a NIST spokesperson told the Herald.  “It’s very early days.” Around 200 people were involved in a similar investigation involving the World Trade Center.

The NIST has also previously participated in studying such disasters as the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornadoes and Hurricane Maria s devastation in Puerto Rico.

“The NIST experts will work with federal, state and local authorities to identify and preserve materials that might be helpful in understanding why the collapse occurred,” Ms Huergo said.

Firefighters working at the site of the collapse have continued to attempt to locate and reach anyone still alive in the remains of the 12-story Champlain Towers South.

Officials said they still don’t know exactly how many residents or visitors were in the building when it fell and a cause of the collapse has yet to be determined.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said that a “definitive answer” was needed in a timely manner.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press