A deadly collapse at a Florida condo happened slowly over several weeks, probe finds
Investigators said two garage-column connections failed in early June and cracks spread for three weeks before the 98-fatality collapse.
- Federal investigators released a final report on Monday finding the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida, began weeks before the disaster that killed 98 people.
- The structure failed to meet original building codes, while 40 years of alterations—including added planters, sand, and pavers—plus long-term corrosion further diminished critical margins against failure.
- Two garage column connections began failing in early June, as photos showed cracks in planter walls and residents reported a gate dipping three weeks before the collapse.
- A Miami judge approved a more than $1 billion settlement for wrongful death claims, while state legislators enacted laws requiring condo associations to maintain sufficient reserves for major repairs.
- Co-Lead investigator Judith Mitrani-Reiser noted the building lacked sufficient margins against failure from the start, though the companies responsible for the original design and construction are no longer in operation.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Surfside condo collapse happened slowly over several weeks, probe finds
The deadly destruction of a Florida beachfront condominium actually started weeks before it collapsed into a pile of rubble in the middle of the night, killing 98 people in 2021, but the building had been vulnerable from the start, federal investigators found in a final report issued Monday.The National Institute of Standards and Technology said in the report that two connections between garage columns and the pool deck started to fail around ea…
Federal investigators reveal cause of 2021 Surfside condo collapse
Federal investigators released the results of their investigation into what caused the deadly 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Miami that killed 98 people. Five years after the disaster, the National Institute of Standards and Technology blamed the failure of two garage column connections beneath the pool deck. The critical moment occurred roughly three weeks before the actual collapse, when the connections between the concre…
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