Eight new bodies found in Surfside condo collapse, death toll rises to 54

With the recovery of eight more bodies, the death toll of an oceanfront condo building in Surfside has risen to 54, informed Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Wednesday (local time).

When the tally of the missing was first announced, it stood at 159, and the death toll at four. By Wednesday evening, the death toll had risen to 54, with as many as 86 people unaccounted for, reported New York Times.

"We have all asked God for a miracle," New York Times quoted the mayor as saying at a news conference. "So the decision to transition from rescue to recovery is an extremely difficult one."

The mission will officially transition to recovery at midnight, the mayor said.

On Sunday, the section of the building that had remained standing was demolished to guard against it toppling on its own and to help speed the search.

The cause of the collapse is still unknown. However, new details are emerging about the integrity of the structure noted in an engineering report in 2018.

Experts who have reviewed available data about collapse say probe into its cause should focus on potential failures near the base of the building.

( With inputs from ANI )