Intro

A few years ago, engineers sounded alarm bells about Champlain Towers, a residential building in Surfside, Fla. Last week, disaster struck and the towers collapsed. At least 11 residents have been confirmed dead and 150 more are still unaccounted for.

What caused the building to fail, and why are so many people still missing?

Guest: Patricia Mazzei, the Miami bureau chief for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• The collapse of Champlain Towers may be one of the deadliest accidental collapses in American history. Here are the key facts.
• Some engineers looking at the building’s failure said that the collapse appeared to have begun somewhere near the bottom of the structure.

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