Miami building collapse: 9/11 investigators drafted in to probe cause of disaster as death toll rises to 11
THE top experts who probed the fall of the Twin Towers after the 9/11 terror attack have been drafted in to investigate the Miami apartment block collapse.
US Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz revealed specialists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are now at the disaster scene gathering key evidence.
Residents of Champlain Towers South's sister buildings, East and North, have been given the option while the buildings are further inspected.
However, an expert hired by the town of Surfside to look at the East and North towers found "no visible evidence of any major structural concern."
Residents of Champlain Towers South were reportedly that were getting worse, and how expensive they would be to repair, in an April letter from the condo association.
The letter came just 75 days before the building went down.
However, minutes from a board meeting held in November 2018 appear to show that Surfside building official Ross Prieto told residents that the structure was in "very good shape" - after reportedly receiving the report, according to the
Prieto reportedly wrote in the email: "The response was very positive from everyone in the room. All main concerns over their forty-year recertification process were addressed.
"This particular building is not due to begin their forty-year until 2021 but they have decided to start the process early which I wholeheartedly endorse and wish that this trend would catch on with other properties."
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When approached, Prieto declined to comment - citing the advice of an attorney.
He claims he "didn't recall" the email which revealed the cost estimates for the repair works.