+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

A video shows an 88-year-old resident of the collapsed Surfside condo being reunited with the man who saved her

Jul 5, 2021, 21:52 IST
Business Insider
Esther Gorfinkel wraps her arms around Alfredo Lopez, the man who rescued her from the Champlain Towers condominium. CNN
  • A resident of the Miami-area condo building that collapsed says a stranger carried her to safety.
  • Esther Gorfinkel, 88, has a bad knee, so her neighbor Alfredo Lopez carried her on his shoulder.
  • CNN's Randi Kaye reunited the residents more than a week after their harrowing escape.
Advertisement

More than a week after a building collapsed in Surfside, Florida, 88-year-old Esther Gorfinkel had a chance to thank the neighbor who carried her on his shoulder to safety, CNN's Randi Kaye reported.

Alfredo Lopez and his family were fleeing their sixth floor apartment through darkness and dust, when they ran into Gorfinkel on the staircase just a few flights down. She told Lopez her knee was bothering her and she wanted to stop.

"Stopping is not an option," Lopez recalled telling her, according to CNN.

So Lopez hoisted Gorfinkel onto his shoulder and carried her to the parking garage, where they climbed over rubble to escape.

Esther Gorfinkel takes Alfredo Lopez's hand in their first meeting after their escape. CNN

In their first meeting since then, Gorfinkel wrapped her arms around Lopez, crying and clutching a handkerchief.

Advertisement

"I'm so happy," she said.

"We made it out, you know. So that's what's important," Lopez said. Gorfinkel agreed.

They lost all their belongings when the building fell overnight on June 24. As of Monday, the death toll stands at 27 and at least 115 people are still missing, NBC Miami reported.

Lopez also got out with his wife, Marian, and their 24-year-old son, Michael. Lopez told CNN's Kaye that he is now dealing with "survivor's guilt," asking himself why he and his family survived when so many others did not.

The search and rescue efforts will resume after the rest of the building was demolished on Sunday night.

Advertisement
Click here to watch the video.
You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article