Emergency responders near Miami Beach Thursday said a 12-story seaside apartment building partially collapsed overnight, killing one person and prompting a massive search and rescue operation.
Miami-Dade County Fire and Rescue, on its Twitter account, say 80 rescue units responded to the collapse in the Town of Surfside.
Pictures and video from the scene show one side of the building collapsed. Police confirmed one person has died and at least 10 people have been treated at the scene for injuries.
A witness told a reporter part of the building was flattened and screams could be heard following the collapse.
Streets in the area have been closed and traffic diverted to make way for rescue vehicles.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told NBC News at the scene that dozens of people were displaced from the building and a nearby hotel was also evacuated.
The building was built in the 1980s, and officials have not said what might have caused the collapse. Burkett said it is hard to believe how it could have happened, saying, “Buildings don’t just fall down.”
Emergency crews say the situation remains fluid.
