With rescue teams working all night and racing against the clock in search for survivors, Rosario authorities have confirmed 11 people remain missing after a building collapsed yesterday in the Santa Fe province locality killing at least 12 people and leaving more than 60 injured.
Firefighters, emergency groups and volunteers continue to comb through the wreckage of the 2000 Salta Street building that collapsed yesterday allegedly due to a gas leak. With sniffer dogs and ultrasound devices, they work hard to find at least 11 people who were still missing after the explosion was reported yesterday morning.
Today, three people who had been reported missing were found alive leaving the number of missing people at 11.
The Rosario Mayor Mónica Fein, who spent all night at the accident spot, said “it is incomprehensible that something like this happened” and considered “it is difficult to understand that a gas fitter is the only one to be responsible” for the tragic event.
Earlier this morning, emergency workers called for further equipment and ambulances as signals of life were detected among the wreckage of the building. Meanwhile, families and friends of the missing remain at the scene waiting for their loved ones to be found.
In a press conference held earlier, Public Health Secretary of Rosario Leonardo Caruana confirmed death toll has officially climbed to 12; 11 people have been identified and one is still in process of identification.
Yesterday’s tragedy at the three-tower building led to a fierce fire that could be only controlled several hours later. The major explosion prompted the central body of the building to completely collapse taking down 18 departments and causing serious damages to the other two 10-storey towers. Many houses in the area were also evacuated on fears and risks of collapse till experts determine security conditions and services can be restored.
Source: Buenos Aires Herald