The death toll from the Florida building collapse climbed to 24 on Saturday after the remains of two more individuals were pulled out of the rubble of Champlain Towers in the Surfside area of the state.

With Tropical Storm Elsa rumbling northward through the Caribbean, just shy of hurricane force — and headed, for now, straight for Florida — authorities are accelerating plans to demolish the remaining part of the structure, reported AFP.

They cited concern for the safety of the hundreds of search-and-rescue workers scouring the site.

The remaining standing part of the structure is scheduled to be brought down amid the threat of tropical storm Elsa, which could result in the uncontrolled collapse of the building.

A total of 124 people are still on the list of missing people after nine days of the incident, even though the search and rescue operations from state authorities are in full swing, according to the recent statements from Daniella Levine Cava, the mayor of Miami-Dade County.

Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters Saturday demolition work could be completed before Elsa arrives, probably on Tuesday.

Authorities had previously said the work could take weeks, but DeSantis, a member of the Republican party, said accelerating demolition was only prudent.

He said demolition could be completed within 36 hours — entailing “minimal work stoppage from the search and rescue teams” — and that work sifting through the existing debris could resume as soon as it is clear that no fires have erupted, reported AFP.

Six cases of COVID-19 have been detected in the search and rescue operations of the Florida building collapse, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky. The news comes less than a day after US President Joe Biden visited the site along with First Lady Jill Biden.

The collapse has since then triggered multiple government and individually initiatied investigations of other buildings in the area to check their structural integrity. 

Crestview Towers, a residential complex which is located in the North Miami Beach area, was ordered to immediately evacuate all its residents after authorities deemed it unsafe.