According to rescuers, the bodies of two children were found in the rubble of a collapsed Florida tower block building, raising the known death toll to 18.
Rescue teams were able to build a ramp for a crane to reach areas of the collapsed building.
150 people missing after building collapsed
Nearly 150 people are still missing after the collapse one week ago. The latest victims to be found have not yet been publicly identified.
Officials stated that they remain hopeful that survivors could be found.
According to the rescue teams, they are working 12 hour shifts as they comb through the rubble despite the sweltering heat and high humidity hampering their efforts.
“They are digging as if there are survivors there. They are still remaining hopeful, but it is indeed a tragedy all around,” Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez said in a statement.
New rescue teams are due to arrive from other states, with severe tropical weather expected to hit the area in the coming days.
An Israeli team helping with the rescue efforts said that they had discovered tunnels large enough for a person, though most of the debris was “very, very tight.”
The cause of the building’s collapse, while residents slept in the early hours of last Thursday, is still unknown. However, it emerged yesterday that residents had received a letter in April warning them that there was worsening structural damage to the building.
Lawsuits are already being filed over the disaster, with the latest accusing the block’s building association of “reckless and negligent conduct.”
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