Surfside condo collapse sparks demolition conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories are starting to circulate an array of conspiracy theories about the devastating condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida.

DAILY DOT, Claire Goforth–In the early morning hours of June 24, Champlain Towers South collapsed in a matter of seconds. As of Monday morning, the official death toll is nine; 152 remain unaccounted for. No survivors have been pulled from the rubble in days.

Notorious conspiracy theorist Loomer similarly claims it was a controlled demolition. Loomer, who is not an engineer, architect, or expert in building science, posted on Telegram, “That was an explosion. Buildings don’t just collapse!” She also falsely posited that media was refusing to ask if the collapse was an act of terrorism.

Subscribers to her Telegram channel rushed to offer their own twists on the conspiracy. One likened it to the Nashville bombing last year, which attracted its own wild theories. Another compared it to the World Trade Center. Many have compared the collapse to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing, and other such acts.

While the cause of the collapse remains uncertain, there have been multiple reports of potentially contributing factors.

In the 1990s, a researcher at Florida International University reportedly found that the building was sinking at a rate of a few millimeters a year, USA Today reports. NBC News reported that an engineer warned that failed waterproofing was causing “major structural damage” beneath one of the pool decks three years ago. “Failure to replaced the waterproofing in the near future will cause the extent of the concrete deterioration to expand exponentially,” the report said. That report identified other possible sources of water infiltration and additional evidence of deterioration. The building was also undergoing roof repairs at the time of the collapse.

These entirely plausible causes of the tragic collapse simply will not do for conspiracy theorists and their followers. On social media, far-right figures and groups are circulating theories that the collapse was a false flag or act of terrorism; that it was a targeted job to silence someone, or perhaps a group, who were up to something those responsible didn’t like.

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