Main content

The collapse of Florida's Champlain Towers South

We examine the causes of last month's collapse of Champlain Towers South in Florida.

We examine the causes of last month's collapse of Champlain Towers South in Florida. Almost a hundred residents are now confirmed to have died in the disaster, and Steve Rosenthal, who lived in the building, tells us he was lucky to escape with his life. Ana Bozovic is a real estate broker and founder of Analytics Miami who works near the collapsed block, and discusses the red flags that were raised about Champlain Towers South in the past. And Benjamin Schafer, who is a structural engineer and professor at Johns Hopkins University explains one of the main theories about why the building's structure failed so catastrophically. Also in the programme, as most remaining coronavirus restrictions are lifted in England, the number of cases of coronavirus continues to rise. That's given rise to what's been dubbed the 'pingdemic', where hundreds of thousands of people are being asked to isolate by the official Test and Trace mobile phone app, because they came into contact with someone who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Tony Sophoclides is strategic affairs director at UK Hospitality, and explains the impact it is having on the bars, clubs and other leisure venues its members run. And travel expert Simon Calder tells us why the US is advising against travel to the UK. Plus, a news agency has been launched in Africa called Bird, which aims to find inspirational human interest and feature stories from across the continent. We find out more from Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter, which has given its backing to the project.

(Picture: The partially collapsed Champlain Towers South. Picture credit: EPA.)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 19 Jul 2021 21:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Mon 19 Jul 2021 21:32GMT