TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Home surveillance video from a resident of the Champlain Towers South beachfront condominium shows the frightening moments before the structure collapsed in the early morning hours last week.
Rosie Santana wasn’t home when a majority of the building collapsed. However, a camera inside her condo captured debris falling in what appears to be her living room.
“This is a video from my camera footage inside from the start of the collapse until the (loss) of connection,” a tweet from Santana read.
If you listen to the video closely, you hear the bone-chilling sounds of crackling and shifting as the condo building began to fall apart.
According to CNN, the condo was located on the seventh floor of the building. Santana told CNN the condo was “basically a vacation home.”
As of Thursday morning, officials said they had to pause rescue efforts out of concern about the stability of the remaining structure after crews noticed widening cracks and up to a foot of movement in a large column.
The collapse has claimed the lives of at least 18 people so far and left over 145 unaccounted for.
Hundreds of rescue personnel have spent the last week meticulously removing and searching through the pancaked rubble for potential signs of life.
While officials wait for the all-clear to resume relief efforts, they must also monitor Tropical Storm Elsa, which is quickly moving toward Florida.