Florida ends search for survivors as Miami building collapse toll rises

Florida rescuers will end their search for survivors in the rubble of an apartment building that partially collapsed nearly two weeks ago, and shift to a recovery effort, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has said.

"We made the extremely difficult decision to transition from operation search and rescue to recovery," Levine Cava said on Wednesday, adding that the shift would formally take place at midnight.

"At this point, we have truly exhausted every option available to us in the search and rescue mission."

Levine Cava said eight more bodies had been found in the debris of Champlain Towers South, in the town of Surfside near Miami, bringing the official death toll to 54, with 86 people still unaccounted for.

READ MORE: Rescuers 'not seeing anything positive' as Florida condo toll climbs

Cause of collapse 

The building in Surfside collapsed in the early hours of June 24, nearly two weeks ago.

Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the collapse.

Cava said rescuers were lucky as the weather had cleared, with Tropical Storm Elsa making landfall on the Sunshine State's west coast.

READ MORE: Death toll rises as search resumes at Miami condominium collapse

'Exhaustive' search

Workers on Tuesday dug through pulverised concrete where the building in Surfside once stood, filling buckets that were passed down a line to be emptied and then returned.

Searchers have found no new signs of survivors, and although authorities said their mission was still geared toward finding people alive, they sounded increasingly somber.

Cava told reporters that crews are "looking for bodies and belongings" in a process that is "very thorough and exhaustive."

READ MORE: Tropical Storm Elsa gains strength as it lashes Florida Keys