Monday, September 23

Who is the first identified victim of a building collapse in Miami and what is known about those affected

A firefighter pulling out of the rubble Jonah Handler , a boy from 15 years, it is the image of hope after the collapse this Thursday of a building in Miami that leaves at least four dead and 159 disappeared.

This Friday the first of the victims was identified, Stacie Fang, precisely Jonah’s mother.

“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 appreciation for the great amount of sympathy, compassion and support we have received, ”the family said in a statement.

Fang, from 54 years and mother of the youth of 15 years rescuers pulled alive from the rubble , is the first of the four fatalities officially recorded after the partial collapse in the Champlain Towers building, to be identified.

This Friday, the name of the teenager who was rescued from the rubble a few hours after the collapse, an image captured by the first cameras arriving at the scene.

This is Jonah Handler, son of Fang, from 15 years and that according to the Local chain 12 is still admitted to a hospital.

Personas se abrazan fuera del edificio derrumbado en Miami.

The director of the Miami-Dade County Medical Department, Dr. Emma Lew, assured that they had already managed to identify three of the deceased, although she did not detail their names, according to CNN.

According to the doctor, they are asking families to give details of their missing relatives, from characteristic marks, tattoos, dental work and scars.

Lew explained that the identification of bodies can be difficult depending on the degree of decomposition and exposure to various elements.

Affected from Latin America

In addition to the four victims there are 159 missing and dozens of injured.

The collapse of the Champlain Towers, a condominium of 12 plants and more than 130 beachfront apartments, took place around two in the morning local time on Thursday.

Among the missing, there are close to 30 people of various nationalities of America Latina, according to the count of the reports of various consulates in Miami and foreign ministries.

The Foreign Ministry of Paraguay confirmed in his Twitter account that there were six disappeared from that country after the collapse.

Among the disappeared are Sophia López Moreira, sister of the First Lady of Paraguay, her husband Luis Pettengill, and their three minor children, as well as another Paraguayan woman, Lady L. Villalba, informed the Foreign Ministry of that country.

“Our consul and His team is on a tour of the Miami hospitals (…) the President of the Republic is in permanent contact with us, he is concerned. Nothing more and nothing less than his sister-in-law, his brother-in-law and his nephews, “said Paraguayan Foreign Minister Euclides Acevedo to a radio station in Asunción.

Chancellery monitors collapsed building in Miami, USA: So far, 6 missing Paraguayans have been registered, which would be: Luis Pettengill, Sophia López Moreira, Lady L. Villalba, and three minors.

➡️ https://t.co/VXx7FPhgyA

– Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@mreparaguay) June 24, 2021

The Argentine Foreign Ministry reported that nine Argentines are missing after the collapse of the building in Miami.

Miami local media and the Argentine newspaper La Nación cited among the disappeared the plastic surgeon of 45 years Andrés Galfrascoli, her husband Fabían Núñez (55) and their 6-year-old daughter.

In the count of missing persons there are also three Uruguayans , a married couple and a woman, as confirmed by the Uruguayan consul general in Miami , Eduardo Bouzout, to the Uruguayan newspaper El Observador .

Personas se abrazan fuera del edificio derrumbado en Miami.

For its part, the Colombian Foreign Ministry reported that six Colombians lived in the building but could not confirm if they were in it at the time of the collapse.

Facing the collapse of the building in # Miami , @ CancilleriaCol informs that there is a report of 6 nationals who resided in the building. It is verified if they were in the building at the time of the events. Consulate of Colombia is in place and attentive to official information

– Colombian Foreign Ministry (@CancilleriaCol) June 15, 2021

In addition, Carlos Vecchio, representative in the United States of the Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, said on Twitter that there are six Venezuelans who are missing after the collapse of the building in Surfside.

Our prayers are with these 6 Venezuelans and their families, as well as with all missing persons and their loved ones.

God allow the intense work carried out by the authorities and rescue bodies to result in positive news. Let’s keep hope.

– CARLOS VECCHIO (@carlosvecchio) June 25, 2021

Zona en Miami donde se encuentra el edificio Champlain
Area in Miami where the Champlain building is located.

A huge rescue team operation continues in the Surfside area of ​​North Miami.

“We still have hope of finding people alive,” said Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Friday morning.

Until Friday the authorities still did not offer explanations as to the causes of the collapse of the building, which was inaugurated in 1981.

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