US: Rescuers Desperately Search for Survivors after Miami Building Collapse

Rescuers are desperately searching for any survivors trapped in the rubble of a collapsed 12-storey residential building north of Miami.

At least one person has been killed and 99 are still missing, officials say.

As families desperately wait for news, search teams have been working around the clock and have reported hearing people banging beneath the debris.

What caused the 40-year-old building to collapse early on Thursday morning remains unclear.

At least 102 people have now been accounted for, but it is uncertain how many were in the building when it came down. Dozens of people have been evacuated from what is left of the structure.

Overnight hundreds of rescuers used sonar cameras and specially trained dogs as they scoured the rubble for survivors. Teams were tunnelling from an underground car park below the building in an effort to reach victims.

Search teams detected sounds of banging and other noises, but no voices coming from the tonnes of debris. But officials say the efforts are dangerous as further rubble could collapse on top of them.

Authorities have begun taking DNA samples from relatives of those still missing in case only remains of their family members are found in the rubble.

Relatives of the missing have been huddled around a community centre a few blocks away, waiting for information and fearing the worst. They have been putting out appeals on social media for information that could help them find their loved ones.