Miami building collapse toll rose to 90: there are still 31 missing

Search teams in damaged residential building in Surfside, South Florida they saved four other bodies, with what the provisional death toll from the collapse stands at 90 this Sunday.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the number of people missing as a result of the incident now stands at 31 while the number of people located is 217, in view of the work of the detectives who take part in this operation and which made it possible to update the list of those who resided in the 12-storey building.

Levine Cava added that search teams are also monitoring air quality, given the possible risk of asbestos at the site, and said everyone involved in the work was wearing the appropriate equipment.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said the location of the Champlain Towers South building, built in 1981, “it is a very difficult place, and the conditions are very harsh”.

Firefighters’ spokesmen said today that they expect that within the next week they will complete the task of recovering the bodies, which has been speeded up after the demolition that was carried out a week ago of the party that had remained standing.

Search operations continue 24 hours a day and “we are about to access the cars from the garage“Underground,” said Alan Cominsky, Miami-Dade fire chief. Cominsky has avoided giving a deadline for completion of the operation. “It’s difficult to give a date, but we think we can remove all of the rubble, “he said.” It’s methodical work for the crews doing the research by hand. It’s a slow process, “he said.

The IDF rescue team, which assisted in the search at the request of the large Jewish community of Surfside, was due to vacate the site on Sunday, Levine Cava said.

The mayor said that to date, which is the 18th day of work on the building rubble, 14 million pounds (about 6 million kilograms) of concrete and rubble have been collected.

THEY IDENTIFY TWO MINORS FROM THE FAMILY OF THE FIRST LADY OF PARAGUAY

Levine Cava pointed out that until today 71 deaths have been recorded.

This Sunday, Miami-Dade Police reported that the identified bodies include the others two nephews of Silvana López-Moreira, the first lady of Paraguay: Alexia Maria Pettengill López-Moreira, 9, and Anna Sophia Pettengill López-Moreira, 6. Both are the children of Sophía López-Moreira and Luis Pettengill, both aged 36, whose identities had previously been identified by the authorities, as well as the youngest of the children, Luis López Moreira III, 3, and nanny Leidy Luna Villalba, 23 years old.

Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez and his wife arrived in South Florida early Saturday morning to meet with their families following the event.

As he said Efe Paraguayan Consul in Miami, Justo Apodaca, the family are not planning any funeral ceremonies in Miami and once the six bodies are recovered, they will proceed to their immediate repatriation to Paraguay.

Among the identified victims is another minor, Lorenzo de Oliveira Leone, 5 years old.

In the aftermath of the partial collapse, the Miami-Dade government rushed to search for other buildings in South Florida that may have issues, including the county seat of the courts, located in the center of the city.

A team of engineers identified structural issues in the 28-story building and recommended the temporary closure of the 16th floor.

(With information from EFE)

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