Surfside condo collapse that killed 98 Miami residents started with crumbling pool deck and was exacerbated by faulty support columns in parking garage, report finds

The years-long investigation into the 2021 Miami condo collapse that killed 98 people has laid the blame on faulty support columns in the tenant garage and adjoining pool deck. 

Federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said this week that tests show some of the steel-reinforced concrete columns in the doomed condo were half the strength they should have been. 

They have concluded that many of the columns in the doomed Champlain Towers South building were not up to scratch even in 1980 - the year the 12-story tower was built. 

Investigators found that the pool deck was the fatal weak spot that led to the collapse, after eyewitnesses said it fell into the garage up to seven minutes before the fatal collapse on June 24, 2021.

Investigators said this week there is 'strong evidence' that cause of the fatal Champlain Towers South building collapse in June 2021 originated in the pool deck 

The devastating collapse led to the deaths of 98 people 

Theories that the pool deck caused the catastrophe were floated almost immediately after the collapse, as videos emerged showing water and debris gushing into the parking garage. 

Investigators say there is 'strong evidence' that the concrete pool deck, which was attached to the building, triggered the collapse after its failure likely destabilized the base of a support beam that ran through the tower's lower level. 

When that beam failed, that caused that tower section to pancake down and a neighboring section to then fall onto it, this week's report found. 

Glenn Bell, one of the lead investigators, said: 'We have very, we think, conclusive evidence now that the pool deck collapsed before the tower.' 

However, Bell stressed that the results are preliminary and will not be official until all tests are completed and the final report issued next year, which is now expected in September 2025 after several delays. 

'What we are still analyzing is what the initiating events were,' he continued.  

'The implications of our recommendations are very large, and we feel pressure to get this right. Bringing about the changes that may be required based on the lessons that we learned may not be easy.' 

The investigation has cost almost $30 million, but cannot change state and local building codes, although it can make recommendations. 

While this week's report was not definitive on the cause, it did seek to dismiss several other theories, including rejecting the hypothesis that a sinkhole opened up in the limestone underneath the tower. 

Allegations of uneven settlement in the building's foundations were also brushed off, as investigators found there was a 'very low probability' that either was a contributing factor.  

A close up of the rubble taken on June 24, 2021, just a few hours after the collapse, show how part of the pool deck had given way and crumbled 

Footage taken from the street showing water flooding the parking garage has been seen as further proof that the complex imploded from the pool deck inwards, engineers say

A year before the collapse, drilling took place up to a foot down in order to determine the structure of the concrete below. The work 'yielded some curious results as it pertained to the structural slab's depth' - but the reason as to why the results were 'curious' was not explained at the time

Investigators stressed that several questions remain to be answered, chiefly whether the pool deck collapsed on its own or something within the building triggered it. 

Evidence supporting the theory that the deck failed on its own includes photographs taken weeks before the collapse showing large cracks in concrete planters that lined the pool area. That shows the deck was already under stress, investigators said.

Surviving tenants also reported hearing loud banging noises from inside the walls before the deck failed, which investigators said was evidence that something happened within the tower that triggered the deck collapse. 

Potential issues with the pool deck had been raised before, including a crumbled section where Frank Morabito, an engineer hired by the collapsed tower association, identified severe concrete erosion in 2018.

It is also around where a contractor saw water forming in a puddle just 36 hours before the collapse. 

In 2020, drilling had also taken place up to a foot down in order to determine the structure of the concrete below. 

The work 'yielded some curious results as it pertained to the structural slab's depth' - but the reason as to why the results were 'curious' was not explained at the time. 

While much of the focus has fallen on vulnerabilities in the pool deck, it is also possible that the collapse was caused by the failure of columns at the tower's southern edge. 

Investigators found significant erosion of the bottom of several columns, caused partially by flooding in the parking garage, which may have triggered the collapse of the pool deck and then subsequently the tower, according to the Miami Herald.  

With questions remaining, some survivors have criticized the ongoing probe into the tragedy, feeling it has taken far too long to determine what happened, and the final report is still not expected until September 2025. 

Workers continued to look for survivors at the site on July 5, 2021, a day after the remaining portion of the structure was demolished to aid in the search effort 

An aerial view of the site weeks after the collapse shows the rescue operation at the Champlain Tower

Pablo Langesfeld, whose 26-year-old daughter Nicole died in the collapse with her husband, Luis Sadovnic, slammed the investigation and pointed out that prosecutors have said they cannot determine whether any criminal charges are warranted until the federal investigation is completed.

'I understand the complexities of such an investigation, but almost three years later, 40 employees and around $30 million spent and still not solid answers - it is not acceptable,' Langesfeld said. 

'It is frustrating that justice, and accountability seems nowhere in sight.' 

Lawsuits filed after the collapse by victims' families and survivors settled in less than a year, with more than $1 billion divided. 

The money came from several sources, including insurance companies, engineering companies and a luxury condominium that had recently been built next door. None of the parties admitted wrongdoing.