Satellite photos taken before and after the collapse of a Miami-area condo building Thursday show the scale of the devastation caused when the tower came down.

Before
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Before / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies.

After
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After / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies.

The partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Fla., killed at least four people and left another 159 unaccounted for. Rescue crews have worked continuously since the disaster, in a dangerous search through the rubble to locate victims.

Authorities have not announced the cause of the collapse. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference Friday afternoon that he wanted a "definitive explanation" for why it occurred.

Before and after a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed in the Surfside area of Miami
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Before and after a 12-story beachfront condo building collapsed in the Surfside area of Miami / Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies.

Some owners of units in the Champlain Towers South complex filed a lawsuit after the collapse alleging the condo association failed to protect the lives and property of the residents.

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