WATCH: Oceanfront Building Demolition Goes 'Terribly Wrong'

MIAMI BEACH, FL — The former oceanfront Marlborough House condominium building collapsed Monday when a planned demolition went horribly wrong, sending one person to the hospital. Witnesses described hearing a thunderous crash as the high-rise building came tumbling down like a house of cards. The building was located at 5775 Collins Avenue.

"Obviously during that demolition something went terribly wrong," Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber told reporters at the scene.

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The victim was identified as 42-year-old Samuel Landis, who was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, according to Ernesto Rodriguez of the Miami Beach Police Department. Landis was associated with the demolition project.

"This is now a criminal investigation led by the Miami Beach Police Department," Rodriguez said late Monday afternoon. "As such, no additional information is currently available."

Workers from GC Construction of Miami captured the building collapse on cellphone video. GC Construction was not involved in the project but happened to be in the area at the time. Company officials gave Patch permission to include the video with this article. It shows first responders treating the victim.

Nearby residents received a notice stating that the demolition work was getting underway on Monday but they were left with the impression that the demolition would take days.

Traffic was snarled along busy Collins Avenue as helicopters hovered overhead and a search and rescue dog could be scene sniffing through the rubble for other possible victims. Rodriguez said late Monday afternoon that first responders had concluded their search without finding any additional victims.

"Miami Beach police and fire have been on the scene conducting life safety searches and will continue these efforts until we are certain the site is deemed clear," city officials said earlier.

One witness who asked not to be identified told Patch that it appeared as though the construction crew was in the process of conducting a controlled demolition of the building when something went wrong.

"The building just went down," he said. "I didn't hear any explosions just the concrete breaking apart."

He added that the construction crew had been taking photos and video just prior to the collapse of the building.

Antonio and Antonia Leiva from Chile told Patch that the crash sounded like a lightening strike.

"It sounded like a storm," explained Antonia Leiva, translating for her father.

Rodriguez said that air quality inspectors from the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resource Management confirmed that all asbestos had been mitigated from the site prior to the start of demolition work.

Police said that a permit had been taken out to demolish the former oceanfront condominium but that the demolition permit did not cover an implosion of the building. It was not clear if the construction crew had been using explosives at the time of the collapse around 10 a.m.

Traffic was disrupted in both directions along the busy stretch of Miami Beach. Police said that Nortbound Collins Avenue was closed at 56 Street. Southbound Collins Avenue was closed at 63 Street.

Susan, who is visiting from New Jersey, said her Uber driver left her blocks away from the Eden Roc Hotel as a result of the detour. She was rolling her luggage through the sand with the hope of making the 12-block hike on foot.

"With proof of residency, those living between 5875 and 63 Street will be allowed to access their buildings," Miami Beach police said. "Residents that live between 56 Street and 58 Street will not be allowed to access their buildings at this time."

Video courtesy GC Construction, Miami, Florida.