Victims of US apartment collapse accept nearly 1 billion USD in compensation

An aerial photo shows a part of a 12-story building in the town of Surfside near Miami Beach, Florida, USA, on June 24, 2021 – Photo: REUTERS

“The amount of compensation is currently $997 million. We will seek hundreds of millions more for the victims,” ​​said attorney Carlos Silva, representing the victims. apartment collapse in the city of Miami, Florida, said.

According to AFP news agency on May 12, the above compensation will be awarded by the defendants of the lawsuit, including insurance companies, apartment owners and real estate developers of a building next door. collapsed apartment, pay.

The lawsuit alleges that vibrations from the operation of the building next to the apartment building also contributed to the collapse of the apartment.

The plaintiff’s attorney, Harley Tropin, said the settlement would bring some relief to survivors and relatives of the deceased.

“While no amount of money can be enough to compensate them, we hope that completing the legal proceedings will bring some comfort to the victims,” ​​Mr Tropin said.

Champlain Towers South apartment building, built in 1981, partially collapsed at dawn on June 24, 2021 while most of the residents were sleeping, killing 98 people. With the exception of a teenager who was rescued hours after part of a building collapsed, there were no survivors under the fallen concrete, wood chips and metal.

The remains of this 12-storey apartment building with 136 apartments were demolished about 10 days after part of the building collapsed.

Concerns about the structural problems of the 40-year-old building were also raised in a technical report from four years ago. Buildings near Champlain Towers South are also being inspected for signs of deterioration.