Luis Bermudez and Ana Ortiz.Photo: Facebook
As police continue to investigate the cause of theChamplain Towers South Condo collapsein Surfside, Florida last week, authorities have released the names of four of thenine victimswho died in the tragic incident.
On Sunday, the Miami-Dade Police Department identified Luis Bermudez, 26, Anna Ortiz, 46, Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74, and Leon Oliwkowicz, 80, as victims of the condo building’s partial collapse on June 24.
“Please keep their families and loved ones in your prayers,” police tweeted of the victims. The bodies were recovered from the rubble over the weekend.
According to theMiami Herald,Bermúdez had muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair. Ortiz and Bermudez were mother and son.
On Sunday, an official for the Venezuelan Embassy to the United States shared his sympathies for Elvira and Oliwkowicz, who were Venezuelan, theHeraldreported.
“No one prepares us for such harsh news and tragedies… Our deepest condolences and support for family and friends,” tweeted Brian Fincheltub, the Director of Consular Affairs of the Venezuelan Embassy, per a translation from Spanish.
From left: victims Manuel LaFont, Antonio Lozano and Gladys Lozano, and Stacie Fang.IRF Global/Youtube; Facebook (2)
Fang is the parent ofJonah Handler, a 15-year-old teen whowas rescuedjust hours after the 12-story beachfront high-rise collapsed.
The mother had been pulled from the debris and taken to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center, but later died, theMiami Heraldreported.
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As of Monday,CNN reportsthat 152 people remain missing while 134 have been reported as safe, as rescuers continue to search the site of the catastrophe.
Listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Dayfor more on the Surfside, Florida condo collapse.
Speaking at apress conferenceSaturday night, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that first responders will keep pushing in the days-longsearch and rescue mission.
“Our top priority continues to be search and rescue and saving any lives that we can. And our brave firefighters are telling us that that’s the right thing to do, and we stand with them,” she said. “Our teams have been working around the clock as always to search for survivors, they have not stopped.”
source: people.com
