Federal probe set to assess Florida building collapse as death toll reaches 18

The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) said Wednesday that it will be launching a probe to unearth more information on the causes of the building collapse in Florida’s Surfside, which happened about a week ago.

The announcement comes about a day before US President Joe Biden, along with his wife and First Lady Jill Biden, is scheduled to visit the site of the incident, which has so far claimed the lives of more than a dozen people, including children.

The National Institute for Standards and Technology is a federal safety agency and a subsidiary arm of its parent body, the US Department of Commerce, reported CNN.

The National Institute for Standards and Technology will carry out an initial assessment of the incident and is likely to report a first-look reaction. However, multiple officials have warned that a full-scale investigation from the National Institute for Standards and Technology can take multiple years to complete.

This will only be the fifth time the National Institute for Standards and Technology will be using its authority to run a deep probe into a structural collapse since the 9/11 attack, when the federal body was granted the power, reported CNN.

The primary objective of the investigation by the National Institute for Standards and Technology will be to narrow down on the technical reasons which could have triggered the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Miami-Dade County.

Based on the findings made through the investigation, the National Institute for Standards and Technology will make recommendations for accordingly alter the building codes, practices and standards that are being followed in the area to protect the structural integrity of other buildings. 

According to an announcement made by Miami-Dade county’s Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the recent death count has jumped up to 18 on Wednesday after the remains of a 10-year-old and 4-year-old were found in the rubble, reported CNN.