Demolition of collapsed Florida condo to start Sunday, says fire official

Worries have intensified over the past week that the damaged condominium complex in Florida could come tumbling down on its own.

A top Miami-Dade fire official has told family members of people missing in the rubble of a collapsed condo building that rescue workers planned to demolish the remainder of the building on Sunday.

Search and rescue personnel work at the site of a collapsed Florida condominium complex in Surfside, Miami, US. ( via Reuters)

Worries have intensified over the past week that the damaged structure could come tumbling down on its own, endangering the crews below and complicating the search for victims.

Fire Rescue Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah told family members during a Saturday morning briefing that the building would be brought down “as soon as possible. First thing tomorrow.”

But he cautioned that there “may be some hiccups.” A follow-up meeting Saturday afternoon will be held to finalize details of the demolition, which could be a precarious operation as experts enter the building to bore into the structure to install explosives.