Tuesday morning news - July 6, 2021

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington.

Rescuers continue search in Fla. after demolition of remaining condo structure » Rescuers are searching through fresh rubble today in Surfside, Florida. They resumed their search on Monday, just hours after a demolition crew detonated explosives, bringing down what remained of a 12-story condo tower.

AUDIO: [Demolition]

That allowed crews to access areas they had been unable to get to, including bedrooms where people were believed to be sleeping when the building collapsed.

Captain Ignatius Carroll of Miami Fire Rescue said despite the dimming odds of finding more survivors, they’re not giving up.

CARROLL: The hope that the family has of being successful finding their loved ones — you know what, until we overturn every stone, we remain hopeful.

The death toll is on the rise as officials dig through the rubble.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said search teams found three more bodies.

CAVA: The world is mourning for those who lost their loved ones and for those who are waiting for news from the collapse. To lose your home and all your belongings in this manner is a great loss as well.

The official death toll stood at 27 on Monday night with another 118 people still missing.

Tropical Storm Elsa takes aim at Florida’s West Coast » The good news for rescue teams is that Tropical Storm Elsa has stayed well to the west of the Miami area and has not significantly interfered with the search.

The storm is now spinning over the Gulf of Mexico and could make landfall on Florida’s west coast this evening with winds now expected to be around 65 miles per hour.

John Cangelosi with the National Hurricane Center...

CANGELOSI: We do think it will actually make an official landfall somewhere, either somewhere near the Tampa Bay area or a little farther north near the Big Bend region of Florida.

The storm will likely cross into south Georgia tomorrow as a tropical depression.

Elsa was a Category 1 hurricane until Saturday morning, causing widespread damage on several Caribbean islands … where the storm was blamed for multiple deaths.

Japanese rescue teams search for survivors after mudslide » Meantime in Japan, rescue teams are searching for survivors in the wake of a devastating mudslide. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: Workers dug through sludge and debris on Monday looking for dozens of people who may be trapped after a torrent of mud, trees and rocks ripped through a Japanese seaside resort town.

At least four people are confirmed dead and 80 were still unaccounted for two days after the landslide.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said rescue workers are doing all they can “to rescue those who may be buried under the mud." Three coast guard ships, and six military drones were backing up hundreds of troops, firefighters and others toiling in the rain and fog.

Officials have rescued at least 25 people so far.

Days of heavy rains triggered the landslide Saturday morning in the town of Atami, about 60 miles southwest of Tokyo.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

UK set to roll back coronavirus lockdown measures » British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says his country will likely move ahead with plans to roll back coronavirus restrictions later this month. That’s when the country moves to the final stage of its lockdown-lifting roadmap.

JOHNSON: What we want to do is strike the right balance, and we are trying to move from a system of very elaborate government rules to one in which we rely on people to exercise personal responsibility.

Britain plans to scrap laws requiring face masks and social distancing on July 19th, though Johnson said a final decision will come on Monday.

He acknowledged that doing so will likely send COVID-19 cases higher, but with most of the country now vaccinated, he said it’s time to start rolling back lockdowns.

So far, 86 percent of U.K. adults have received at least one vaccine dose and 64% are fully vaccinated.

JOHNSON: What we have achieved with the vaccine rollout has put us in a very strong position by comparison with many other countries.

The removal of social distancing rules will allow nightclubs to reopen for the first time in 16 months, and people to once again order drinks at the bar in a pub.

The government will also stop instructing people to work from home if they can, leaving employers free to bring staff back to offices.

Gunmen abduct dozens of students from Christian school in Nigeria » A group of armed men kidnapped dozens of students at a Christian school in Nigeria on Monday. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has that story.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The gunmen stormed Bethel Baptist High School in the town of Chikun in western Nigeria around 2 a.m.

Police say they fired their weapons sporadically as they kidnapped the students. Officials have not yet given the exact number of students abducted.

John Hayab, who is the chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, said so far, 26 students had returned and he was hopeful that more would escape from their kidnappers.

This is the seventh mass kidnapping of students in Nigeria so far this year.

Criminals and terrorists carry out the kidnappings for ransom money. Many schools have had to shut their doors as authorities are unable to protect them.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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