MIAMI (AP) — As crews continued to search for victims within the rubble of the collapsed 12-story condominium complex near Miami, officials reassured families that they were also on the lookout for their cherished pets.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Saturday that at least three sweeps have been conducted, some by camera, at a portion of the complex still standing — and that no animals have been found.
“I very much understand that pets are part of people’s families,” the mayor said, noting that she, too, has been a pet owner. “My heart goes out to those who fear for their animals, and I just want you to know that additional efforts have been made and are being made.”
A flank of Champlain Tower South remains mostly intact, but officials said as soon as Sunday — ahead of incoming Tropical Storm Elsa that could put the building precariously at risk of collapsing on its own.
Cava said she informed a contractor of possible locations of missing pets. “They’re aware and doing everything that they might do just to make an additional search,” she said.
But the mayor said there would not be a door-to-door search because it was too dangerous to do so.
Earlier in the week, a firefighter attempted to locate the missing cat of an elderly woman and her daughter who lived on the fourth floor of the still-standing wing of the condominium tower. The two women had escaped with their dog, Rigatoni. But their…
