Champlain tower destruction in surfside florida
Search and rescue personnel work in the rubble of the 12-story condo tower that crumbled to the ground during a partially collapse of the building on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
  • 18 people are confirmed dead and 145 people are still missing after a Florida condo collapsed.
  • One survivor told The Washington Post that she ran down six flights of broken stairs to escape.
  • Maria Iliana Monteagudo told the Post: "I was afraid I was going to be crushed."
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A woman described surviving the collapse of the condo in Surfside, Florida, by running down six flights of broken stairs.

Maria Iliana Monteagudo, 64, told The Washington Post: "I was afraid I was going to be crushed."

The Post said she ran down the stairs of the Champlain Towers South condo as the building fell on June 24.

"I kept going, screaming: 'God, help me, please help me. I want to see my sons, I want to see my grandsons, I want to live.'"

18 people have been confirmed dead from the collapse, and 145 people are still missing.

Rescuers are still digging looking through the rubble. They paused their efforts briefly on Thursday amid fears that parts of the building left standing could collapse onto them.

It's not yet clear what caused the collapse.

Read the full Washington Post account of the collapse and who it affected here.

Read the original article on Insider