Florida condo collapse: Biden pledges to help

US President Joe Biden visited Florida on Thursday to meet officials and relatives of those killed and missing in the Surfside condominium collapse.

His trip came as the search-and-rescue operation was temporarily suspended due to concerns about the stability of the remaining structure.

The 12-story Champlain Towers South apartment block on Florida's coast near Miami partially "pancaked" in a matter of seconds as residents slept last week.

A total of 18 people have been confirmed dead with 145 still missing, feared trapped in the rubble.

Biden promises federal support

Biden and his wife, Jill, arrived in Miami, where the president attended a briefing with local officials.

Biden told them he would deliver "whatever you need" and that he believed that the federal government has "the power to pick up 100% of the cost" of the search and cleanup. He urged the local officials to turn to Washington for assistance.

"There's going to be a lot of pain and anxiety and suffering and even the need for psychological help in the days and months that follow," Biden said.

"We're not going anywhere," he said, adding: "This is life or death."

Rescue operation suspended, again

Workers at the site were instructed to stop just after 2 a.m. (0600 UTC) on Thursday, after movement in the debris raised concerns that the part of the building still standing could collapse, officials said.

Rescue crews noticed several expansions in cracks they had been monitoring. They also observed some movement in a large column hanging from the structure "that could fall and cause damage to support columns" in the underground parking garage, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said.

In addition, they noticed movement in the debris pile and slight movement in some concrete floor slabs "that could cause additional failure of the building," he said.

"The search-and-rescue operation will continue as soon as it is safe to do so," Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a news briefing. Officials said they were unsure when that would happen.

The death toll on Thursday rose to 18 after discovering six more bodies, including two children, aged 4 and 10.

Authorities said they have not given up on locating survivors, but the chance of finding anyone alive gets smaller each day. The rescue operation has been slowed amid oppressive heat and humidity and frequent summer storms.

The White House emphasized that it was careful to coordinate with officials on the ground to ensure that Biden's visit did not distract from the search and rescue effort.

kmm (AP, Reuters)