JavaScript is off. Please enable to view full site.

Final death toll from Florida condominium collapse put at 98

Final death toll from Florida condominium collapse put at 98

Tuesday, July 27, 2021, 10:05 GMT+7
Final death toll from Florida condominium collapse put at 98
The partially collapsed Champlain Towers South residential building is demolished, in Surfside, Florida, July 4, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Remains of the last person still listed as missing in the collapse of a Florida condominium tower on June 24 have been recovered and identified, bringing the final confirmed death toll to 98, Miami-Dade County officials said on Monday.

Remains of the latest victim, Estelle Hedaya, 54, were found by search teams on July 20, and medical examiners had been working since then to positively identify her before making Monday's announcement, authorities said at a news conference.

The Miami-Dade fire department's round-the-clock search for additional victims at the beachfront site of the Champlain Towers South condo, in the Miami suburb of Surfside, was demobilized last Friday.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the combined search-and-rescue operation and efforts to find and identify victims of the Surfside disaster "the largest non-hurricane emergency response in the history of our state."

"Today I can report, because of the sustained heroic efforts, the last remaining missing person has now been accounted for and identified and the family notified," the mayor said. "Through these tireless efforts we were able to at least bring closure to all those who reported missing loved ones."

The confirmed death toll consists of the 97 victims killed outright when the building crumbled in the early hours of June 24 as residents slept, and one victim who died while hospitalized.

No one had been pulled alive from the mounds of pulverized concrete, splintered lumber and twisted metal since the early hours after the collapse 33 days ago, and authorities formally gave up hope of finding any more survivors on July 7.

Although the remains of everyone who was believed to have been trapped in the rubble have since been found, police will continue to sift through the debris for additional remains of those who died and for personal effects to return to loved ones, Levine Cava said.

The search for belongings was continuing through debris left when half of the building caved in on itself, as well as through rubble from the portion of the high-rise initially left standing but later demolished, Miami-Dade Police Department director Alfred Ramirez told reporters.

Authorities said they were still gathering evidence for investigations into what triggered the collapse.

While the cause remains undetermined, a 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are now the focus of several inquiries, including a grand jury probe. 

The disaster has prompted officials across South Florida to study residential buildings for signs of poor construction or structural weaknesses.

Reuters

More

Read more

;

Photos

VIDEOS

‘Taste of Australia’ gala dinner held in Ho Chi Minh City after 2-year hiatus

Taste of Australia Gala Reception has returned to the Park Hyatt Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Vietnamese woman gives unconditional love to hundreds of adopted children

Despite her own immense hardship, she has taken in and cared for hundreds of orphans over the past three decades.

Vietnam’s Mekong Delta celebrates spring with ‘hat boi’ performances

The art form is so popular that it attracts people from all ages in the Mekong Delta

Vietnamese youngster travels back in time with clay miniatures

Each work is a scene caught by Dung and kept in his memories through his journeys across Vietnam

Latest news