They got up, opened the door leading to their hallway and faced a pile of rubble and billowing smoke. “I couldn’t walk out past my doorway,” said Cohen, 63, the former vice mayor of Surfside. “A gaping hole of rubble.”The couple survived the collapse of Champlain Towers South Condo, just yards from the Atlantic surf, but at least one person was killed and rescuers were still combing the building's rubble for others. There were eventually brought to safety on a cherry-picker that firefighters used to lower people to the ground, he said. I’m always happy to be alive, but I’m even happier today.”

Source: ABC News June 24, 2021 14:26 UTC