A year on, Surfside remembers 98 victims of condo collapse

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Friday marks the anniversary of the oceanfront condo building collapse that killed 98 people in Surfside, Florida.

The 12-story tower came down with a thunderous roar and left a giant pile of rubble in one of the deadliest collapses in U.S. history.

The disaster at Champlain Towers South also turned into Florida’s largest-ever emergency response that didn’t involve a hurricane.

Its victims are being honored Friday at events on the ground where the grueling two-week search and rescue unfolded. Only two teenagers and a woman survived the fall and were pulled from the rubble, while others escaped from the portion of the building that initially remained standing.

First Lady Jill Biden is expected at a public event organized by the town of Surfside.