At least four Canadian citizens may have been “affected” by the collapse of a residential condominium in Miami early on June 24, according to Global Affairs Canada.
In a statement sent Friday evening to Global News, the department said that Canadian consular officials were in contact with local authorities to gather more information, as well as with the “affected families.”
The department did not specify whether any of the affected Canadians were injured or killed in the building’s collapse, and said that no further information could be disclosed because of the Privacy Act.
In another statement from GAC Saturday evening, the department confirmed that the four “affected” Canadians were from two different families.
Close to 160 people are still unaccounted for and at least four have been confirmed dead after the seaside 12-story Champlain Towers South collapsed in the Miami suburb of Surfside.
A previous statement from GAC confirmed they had received several reports of Canadians being affected, but did not specify how many.
Officials in Miami said that they don’t know yet know exactly how many residents or visitors there were in the condo when it collapsed, but that they were trying to find 159 people that were considered unaccounted for.
The cause behind the collapse has not yet been determined, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said a “definitive answer” would be needed soon.
— With files from the Associated Press