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The death toll from the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers residential building in Surfside, Florida, increased to five , but only four of the fatalities have been identified, as authorities intensify the search for more survivors.
Miami-Dade County Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, reported who were identified, through relatives and rapid DNA tests.
“ Today our search and rescue teams found another body in the rubble , “Levine Cava said at a press conference. “And furthermore, our search has revealed some human remains.”
That is, there are other people who could be identified later and included in the list of fatalities.
The victims were identified as Antonio Lozano, of years; Gladys Lozano, by 79; Manuel LaFont, by 54, and Stacie Fang, of 54, reported the Miami-Dade Police Department. The fifth victim has not been identified. Fang’s identity was confirmed by CNN .
So far the number of missing persons remains at 156, in the middle of the plight of the relatives, but the rescue attempt continues three days after collapse .
The process of identifying the victims is difficult, the mayor acknowledged, that is why the authorities have collected DNA evidence from relatives who report missing people or who lived in the condominium.
Among the details of the recovery of bodies it is indicated that Antonio and Gladys Lozano were recovered from the apartment 903. Antonio’s was recovered on 24 June and Gladys the next day, the Police indicated.
The report indicates that approximately 55 of the 136 units in the building, north of Miami Beach, collapsed around 1: 30 am Thursday.
Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Comisky said the search strategy is intense, although a mother of one of the disappeared accuses that the search is “too slow”, according to. He charged that a group of rescuers from Israel had not been allowed to get to the point. At least 20 people from that country were in the condo.
The press conferences have some interventions in Spanish, because a percentage of the victims and disappeared are of Latin origin, several from Argentina and Venezuela, and not all of her family members speak English.
The authorities indicate that the reason for the collapse is still unknown, but the investigations are ongoing, but The Palm Beach Post revealed that a Surfside construction official said he was on the roof of Champlain Towers South 14 hours before he collapsed and said that “there was not an excessive amount of equipment or materials” that could cause the collapse of the building .
Jim McGuinness, who, said he was on the roof to inspect the roof anchor replacement work, which is where the window cleaners put their equipment.