First day of Surfside collapse recovery underway after officials say no more victims thought to be alive

As the massive search effort in Surfside, Fla., has shifted from rescue to recovery, crews on Thursday are hoping to give some closure to families who know that no additional victims of the condo tower collapse are thought to be alive.

The confirmed death toll now stands at 54 after authorities said Wednesday that they found 18 additional victims, the highest number recorded in a day. Officials are expected to announce more confirmed deaths in the days ahead. The number of people unaccounted for at Champlain Towers South remains at 86 as of early Thursday.

Although officials emphasized that the recovery operation — which could last weeks — will remain intensive, the tone in announcing the shift away from rescue was decisively grim. Despite finding some survivors in the hours immediately after the June 24 catastrophe, crews have found no signs of life since, as they moved more than 7 million pounds of concrete from the collapse site.

“We have all asked God for a miracle, so the decision to transition from rescue to recovery is an extremely difficult one,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) said at a news conference.

Ray Jadallah, assistant chief for Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, told reporters that the “pancake” nature of the collapse left low chances of finding “void” spaces where survivors could be. He added that the moment he had to inform the families of the missing of the shift from rescue to recovery was “some of the hardest news I’ve ever had to deliver in my professional career.”

Miami-Dade police publicly identified four additional victims on Wednesday: Graciela Cattarossi, 86; Gino Cattarossi, 89; Simon Segal, 80; and Elaine Lia Sabino, 71. Segal had dedicated his life to structural engineering and construction, reviewing plans and specifications for condominiums and office buildings.