Condo collapse: All but 2 of the 97 victims found in the Surfside building collapse have been identified

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Their efforts, aside from brief weather and safety delays regarding the dangerous and unstable conditions, have been around the clock. And now continuing into its fourth week, the casualties are still being determined.

Authorities named another person who died in the collapse on Saturday. Theresa Velasquez, 36, was found in the rubble on July 8, according to Miami-Dade police.

On Friday, two other victims were identified by police. Brad Cohen, 51, and Maria Popa, 79, were recovered on July 7 and 9 respectively.

The death toll remains at 97 and 95 victims have now been identified.

Miami-Dade County said this week that in the future it would only report the number of identified casualties, “out of respect for the families still waiting and to ensure that we report the most accurate numbers possible.” .

The collapse, which devastated families and friends of victims in the United States and abroad, alarmed owners and residents of other condominiums, fearing a similar situation could unfold for them. And mourners continue to pay homage to the Wall of Hope, a memorial to the missing located on the doors of the building’s tennis court.
Valerie Flatto visits the memorial bearing photos of some of the victims of the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on July 15, 2021 in Surfside, Florida.

On-site and off-site investigators seek answers

At the end of July, recovery teams continue to sift through what remains of the building. At least 22 million pounds of debris and concrete have been removed, according to Miami-Dade County.
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“At the site of the original collapse, we’re almost at the bottom,” Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta told CNN on Thursday. “Does that mean we’re almost done with the search? No. Until we clear the entire site and find more human remains, we won’t be finished.”

“We’re almost there,” Zabaleta added.

While clean-up efforts may be nearing completion point, determination of the reasons for the collapse will continue well for the foreseeable future.

A building engineer told CNN his access to the site to investigate potential causes of the collapse has been limited while police investigate.

“Until they do their job, we can’t go and get material samples and take those samples and test them to figure out what the various building components were that fell,” structural engineer Allyn Kilsheimer, who was hired by the city of Surfside, told CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Friday.

This week, Florida State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle acknowledged “multiple requests from engineers and lawyers” to access the site.

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“Engineers from the federal agency National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were deployed to Surfside with the authority of Congress to gather evidence and determine how and why the South Champlain Tower collapsed. NIST is the investigative agency responsible for investigating building collapses such as the World Trade Center, just as the NTSB investigates plane crashes, “Rundle said in a statement.

“We cannot forget that the scene and all associated materials are still under active investigation, preservation and examination, and as usual law enforcement is in charge. from the scene, “Rundle noted.

“I understand that once NIST, Miami-Dade Fire Department, and Miami-Dade Police Department determine that it is safe and appropriate for others to access the site, they will be permitted to do so in accordance with the guidelines set out by these agencies, ”said Rundle.

CNN’s Rosa Flores, Rebekah Riess, Leyla Santiago, Claudia Dominguez and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.

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