US President Joe Biden approved Florida's emergency declaration and ordered that federal assistance be provided to supplement state and local response efforts.
According to media reports, one person has been confirmed dead and anywhere from 51 to 99 are presumed missing with 36 rescued after the building collapsed overnight in Surfside.
The mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett, said the building manager informed him the apartment complex was substantially full at the moment of the tragedy and that the chances of finding people alive under the ruins are very low.
On Thursday, Miami Beach Police Department reported that Miami Fire Rescue units were responding to a partial building collapse at 8777 Collins Avenue in Surfside, Florida.