Miami building collapse: Rescuers say they can hear ‘what sounds like banging’ as they search for missing 99

Rescue crews using sonar to search for survivors revealed they heard what could be people “banging” beneath the rubble of the collapsed apartment building in Miami.

Assistant chief of operations Ray Jadallah told reporters that the sonar sound devices from various areas inside the debris have detected signs that could potentially be from some of the 99 people still missing.

“We did receive sounds, not necessarily people talking, but sounds,” Mr Jadallah said.

“What sounds like people banging, well not people but sounds of a possibility of a banging, short of that we haven’t heard any voices coming from the pile.”

While 102 people have been “accounted for”, authorities said the number of missing could increase from the current figure of “at least” 99.

There were 35 victims rescued from the structure and two from the rubble, with 11 treated for injuries and four transported to hospital. There is one confirmed death so far.

Mr Jadallah said an underground parking garage had given firefighters access to tunnel to different floors in their search and rescue efforts.

From a maximum of 100 firefighters, about 60 to 70 firefighters at a time continued rescue efforts entirely beneath the surface from within the underground parking garage.

But the combination of sonar and K9 dog crews searching the rubble had so far been unable to locate “voids” for crews to operate in and search.

“This process is slow and methodical,” he said, describing how a shift in the rubble caused a small fire that needed to be extinguished before resuming operations.

Miami-Dade’s mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, said she signed an emergency order for Miami and that an order while Mr DeSantis signed the emergency declaration on Thursday evening.

A spokesperson for Mr DeSantis told The Independent the governor worked with Ms Cava and other local officials at the and were able to meet the immediate needs of search and rescue.

“With that, we will get the support from the federal agency FEMA. The president has pledged that support and so shortly these orders will go forward and we will be able to bring, in addition, FEMA federal assistance, to this site and the families who are suffering,” she said.

But later in the afternoon we found out that FEMA assistance could be made available to displaced individuals and families with the emergency declaration. Wanting as much support for these families as possible, Gov DeSantis signed the emergency declaration this evening.”

Earlier, Joe Bien said the White House was ready to move federal resources immediately and that FEMA was already on-site surveying the damage and the assistance needed.

“FEMA is down there, taking a look at what’s needed, and including from everything from if the rest of those buildings have to be evacuated as well, finding housing for those people, making sure they have capacity to both have a place to, to shelter and food to eat, etcetera,” Mr Biden said.

“Whatever help you want the federal government can provide, we’re waiting, just ask us we’ll be there. We’ll be there,,” he added.