Miami building collapse: who are the victims identified after the collapse | the Chronicle

In the early hours of last Thursday, an entire building collapsed in Miami Beach and rescue efforts still continue amid the rubble. The Champlain South Tours complex had more than 130 apartments, of which 80 were occupied at the time of the disaster and about 55 collapsed.

Rescuers managed to find the remains of 11 people, but more than 150 are still missing. In order to identify the last two found, police asked relatives to take DNA samples so that they could be compared.

Hope and despair in the same family

One of the few memorable scenes was the rescue of Jonas Manager, a 15-year-old found alive on the same Thursday. And that he survived because a mattress protected him from impacts. However, his mother Stacie Croc, 54, did not have the same fate.

“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie. The members of the Fang-Handler family would like to express our deepest gratitude for the great amount of sympathy, compassion and support we have received.“the family said in a statement.

United until the end

Gladys and Antonio Lozano they had dinner wednesday evening with their son Sergio and that was the last time they were seen alive. He lives in a building opposite his parents. In fact, from the balcony, he could see his apartment.

That night a loud noise woke him up but he thought it was a thunderstorm and went out onto the balcony. “I turned to my wife and said, “He’s not here. And she was shouting to me, “What do you mean? “My parents’ apartment has disappeared, it has disappeared. And then I ranLozano told reporters on Friday.

The man said his parents they were going to celebrate their 59th birthday on July 21 and that they had known each other for over 60 years. They always joked about who died first since neither wanted to be left alone.

As confirmed by the BBC, Miami County Police identified them as two of the victims on Sunday. They were 79 and 83 years old and lived in apartment 903. On Friday, before knowing for sure that they were dead, Lozano assured that the only consolation he had was that “they left together and it was quick“.

The countdown to the missing

Another of those identified was Manuel LaFont, 54 years old. Her story contains a coincidence that could have decimated her family much more. Is it according to his ex-wife Adriana, Wednesday evening, he was with his 10 year old son, Santiago.

“Manny (Manuel) calls me to tell me that he would like to stay that night with Santi, because they were going fishing (the next day). But he came out of my mouth to say no“It’s because when he asked her son if he wanted to stay he didn’t answer, so the mother assumed the little one didn’t want to but was ashamed to admit it.”So I said to Manny ‘please, I ask you to bring it to me’, and he brought it to my house at 10:30 p.m. My children were born again and I was born again“said the woman.

Sunday, already in the afternoon, they announced the names of five other deceased: Luis Bermudez, 26 years old and her mother Anna ortiz, of 46; and Venezuelans Leon Oliwkowicz, 80 and Christina Beatriz Elvira, from 74.

It was the collapse of the building in Miami