Distraught family says missing loved ones' landline has called at least 20 times from the rubble at Champlain Towers South



Florida family members say that they have received no fewer than 20 phone calls from their loved ones' landline since the deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, nearly a week ago.

Arnie Notkin, 87, and his wife, Myriam, 81, lived on the doomed building's third floor, and their loved ones say that they began receiving the calls roughly 18 hours after the building partially collapsed.

Eleven people have died as a result of the disaster, and approximately 150 people remain missing at the time of this reporting as search and rescue enters its seventh day.

What are the details?

Dianne Ohayon told the New York Post that calls from her parents have yet to subside.

"They're coming in every day," she told the outlet. "The last one I have knowledge about was Monday morning, a call came in at about 5:30 a.m. It was static. It's the same thing every time. ... There's nobody on the line and it's just static. And we wait and we just hang up because nothing changes."

The landline, according to Ohayon, was next to her parents' bed.

Her nephew, Jake Samuelson — the Notkins' grandson — reached out to an area detective to determine why the calls keep coming in.

Samuelson told the station that when the first call came in, the family sat in stunned silence.

"We were all sitting there in the living room ... and we were just shocked and we kind of thought nothing of it because we answered, and it was static," he said. The day after the deadly collapse, he said the family received 15 more calls.

Ohayon said that her nephew and the rest of the family are hoping to find answers.

"My nephew went on camera to try and find answers, raise awareness and maybe find out if other family members in the building were also receiving calls," she said. "We were just not understanding what these phone calls were meaning. Maybe they were calling for help. We don't know what they mean."

The investigation into the eerie calls continues, and Ohayon said that the family is just waiting for more information on the source of the disturbing phone calls.

A Saturday report from WPLG-TV noted that calls to the Notkins' number that day were met with a busy signal.

"The days are long, but we're still hopeful and we're just waiting," Ohayon added. "Every day is the same process."

Stunning video captures moment Florida condo building collapses: 'We are bracing for some bad news'



Stunning video captured the moment a 12-story condominium building in Surfside, Florida, partially collapsed during the early hours of Thursday morning.

The disaster thus far has claimed the life of one person, but authorities say that at least 51 other people are unaccounted for, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) says that the state is "bracing for some bad news," according to a report from the BBC.

More than 80 rescue teams reportedly responded to the scene at Champlain Towers South early Thursday morning in hopes of rescuing any potential victims.

What are the details?

In video obtained by local Florida media outlets, the building can be seen appearing to collapse from the top down, beginning near the center of the building and working outward to the right.

DeSantis said he would soon be visiting the area.

"We are bracing for some bad news just given the destruction that we're seeing," he warned.

Witness Kimberly Morales, a woman who lives across the street, told local media that she awoke to the sound of alarms and rushed to wake everyone up.

Other eyewitnesses said that they saw a huge cloud of dust.

"We have friends who have family that live in that building," one eyewitness said. "We don't even know if they're OK."

The cause of the collapse remains unknown at the time of this reporting, and CNN reported that approximately 55 units in the northwest corridor of the building were impacted by the collapse.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has set up a family reunification center and encourages anyone seeking loved ones to call (305) 614-1819. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is also requesting residents of the building to fill out a wellness check form.

The form requests residents' names, contact information, unit number, and whether those living with them have been located.

JUST IN: Video I’ve obtained of the building collapse in Surfside, Florida. https://t.co/BGbRC7iSI9

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) 1624540712.0

Multistory condo building partially collapses; hundreds of first responders flock to the scene to rescue the trapped



A multistory condominium building has partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, killing at least one person and possibly trapping others in the rubble.

More than 80 rescue teams reportedly responded to the scene.

Authorities in South Florida were responding early Thursday to a "partial building collapse," the Miami-Dade Fire R… https://t.co/PS41CDCSpM

— CNN (@CNN) 1624532820.0

What are the details?

The collapse took place around 2 a.m. local time early Thursday morning.

According to CNN, one person died and at least 10 others were treated at the scene.

Of the disaster, Surfside Mayor Charles W. Burkett said, "This is a horrific catastrophe. In the United States, buildings just don't fall down."

BREAKING: Multi-level building collapse reported in Surfside, Florida. Multiple emergency agency's responding.… https://t.co/6j8CD9ijBj

— Izzy (@YWNReporter) 1624517112.0

Kimberly Morales, a woman who lives across the street from the building, said that she was awakened by the sound of alarms going off.

"I woke everyone up in the room because when I looked out the window, I saw everyone outside," she told the outlet. "I told everyone to hurry up and leave the building."

Witness Shmuel Balnaky said that he was walking with his brothers and dog when they heard a "really big rumble."

"And we think that it was a motorcycle — like, classic, early in the morning — and we turn around and we just see a cloud of dust coming our way," he recalled. "And we're just, like, what is going on? So we, like, we start rushing towards there. We pull our shirts over our face so we don't get any, like, dust in our eyes and everything."

Shmuel added, "We have friends who have family that live in the building. We don't even know if they're OK. Some of them are OK. We don't know if the rest are OK."

His brother, Mich, added, "What we saw from the beginning was a huge cloud of smoke and a lot of noise. ... We saw this happen. It was by far the most horrific thing that I've seen. I was alive for 9/11. I didn't see that happen in real life. I saw something like this happen, and it's the closest thing that I can relate to 9/11. This is something that is absolutely insane."

David Shaw, who was inside a neighboring building, said that he felt the whole building shake.

"You couldn't see," he said of the view from his window. "I thought it was, like, a storm or something coming in. When the dust cleared, the back ... two-thirds of the building was gone, it was down to the ground."

What else?

The Jerusalem Post reported that the building — which it identified as Champlain Towers – sits in one of the most Jewish neighborhoods in the Miami area.

According to the outlet, the mayor has expressed concerns that the building might entirely collapse, and authorities believe there may be multiple fatalities.

"The mayor said 15 family units walked out of the building," the outlet reported. "10 people were treated on-site and two were taken to the hospital, however CBS is reporting that there have been nine hospitalizations so far. One of the hospitalizations was the single confirmed fatality, according to the mayor. He added that there are likely several apartments still unaccounted for."

The Miami Herald reported that first responders brought dogs to sniff out any possible survivors in the rubble.

"They aren't turning up much," Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer said. "No one is celebrating anyone being pulled out."

On Thursday morning, WPLG-TV reported that "numerous others" are trapped in the rubble

"The power has been cut off to the building and it appeared that part of at least four levels were totally destroyed in the collapse," the station reported.

The cause of the collapse remains unknown at the time of this reporting.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has set up a family reunification center, the Herald reported, and encouraged anyone seeking loved ones to call (305) 614-1819.