A HIGH RISE apartment block in Florida partially collapsed in the early hours of this morning, as rescuers believe it has trapped a number of residents.

Local media, CBS4 Miami, have reported that at least one person has been killed in the building.

Online videos showed a large portion of the 12-story building in the town of Surfside, just north of Miami Beach, reduced to rubble, with the apartments’ interiors exposed.

New video of search and rescue this morning at partially collapsed building in Surfside near 88th and Collins.

The man who took this video told me he helped rescuers find a 10-year-old boy trapped in the rubble. He said the boy was in pajamas and screaming for help. @CBSMiami pic.twitter.com/o0Ra8RGG4W

— Brooke Shafer (@BrookeShaferTV) June 24, 2021

It was unclear how many people lived in the building or who had been inside at the time, but local news station NBC 6 South Florida reported that firefighters pulled one boy from the rubble alive.

Emergency services sent dozens of response units to the scene, near to the local beach.

Miami Beach Police Department said its officers were “assisting the Town of Surfside at a partial building collapse.”

“Multiple police and fire agencies from across Miami-Dade are assisting,” the force added.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said: “Over 80 MDFR units… are on scene with assistance from municipal fire departments.”

Local media said records showed the building was built in 1981 and had more than 130 units inside. 

Additional reporting from Niall O’Connor. 

© AFP 2021