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Here is what we know about the victims identified in the tragic Florida condo collapse

Jun 30, 2021, 20:39 IST
Insider
Mourners stand at a make-shift memorial outside St. Joseph Catholic Church near the collapsed Champlain Towers South condo building. Gerald Herbert/AP
  • After a condo tower collapsed on June 24 in Surfside, Florida, 12 people are confirmed dead and at least 149 people are missing.
  • The victims range in age and background; some had lived in the Champlain Tower South for years.
  • Here are the confirmed victims of the tragic building collapse.
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Since last week's partial high-rise condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, 12 people have been confirmed dead by authorities.

At least 149 people remain unaccounted for in the June 24 disaster at the oceanfront Champlain Towers South and rescue crews have been working around the clock searching through the massive pile of rubble at the site of the tragedy.

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's office and the Miami-Dade Police Department have identified 12 of the victims in the collapse as Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio Lozano, 83; Gladys Lozano, 79, Manuel LaFont, 54; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Luis Bermudez, 26; Ana Ortiz, 46; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Frank Kleiman, 55; Michael David Altman, 50; and 92-year-old Hilda Noriega.

Details are still emerging about those who died in the condo collapse. Here is what we know about the victims so far.

Stacie Dawn Fang, 54, was with her teenage son at the time of the condo collapse.

Brooklyn-born Stacie Dawn Fang, a 10th floor resident at the condominium on Collins Avenue, was with her teenage son when a massive wing of the 12-story building came crashing down at 1:30 a.m. on June 24.

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Fang's son, Jonah Handler, was one of the two survivors that rescuers pulled from the rubble in the immediate aftermath of the collapse.

Emergency responders rushed Fang to Aventura Hospital and Medical Center where she was pronounced dead roughly two hours after the incident. She was the first victim identified by authorities.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie," Fang's family said in a statement, according to CBS News. "Many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much-needed source of strength during this devastating time."

Married couple Antonio Lozano, 83, and his wife Gladys Lozano, 79, were among the dead.

Antonio and Gladys Lozano had their last meal with their son Sergio while watching the Miami Marlins baseball game, Sergio told CBS News.

They were married for 59 years and lived on the ninth floor of the building.

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Local news station WSVN's chief meteorologist Phil Ferro wrote in an Instagram post that Gladys and Antonio were his godmother and uncle.

"They were found today in the rubble of the collapsed condo building in Surfside. They were such beautiful people. May they Rest In Peace," Ferro wrote in the post.

Manuel LaFont, 54, was an avid little league baseball coach in the community.

Manuel LaFont is survived by his ex-wife Adriana LaFont and their two children.

According to the Miami Herald, LaFont was an avid little league baseball coach in the community, and Adriana had picked up their children on Wednesday night ahead of the collapse.

Manuel's remains were discovered by rescue crews in the rubble. He had lived in the complex for close to 10 years, according to CNN.

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"So many memories within the walls that are no longer there will forever be engraved in the heart!" Adriana wrote in a Facebook post. "My Manny, who was my partner for so many years, father of my children, who scolds me and loves me at the same time. Adriana be on time!! Manny, Daddy, we want to hug you again and tell you how much we love you!"

Leon Oliwkowicz, 80, Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74, were important figures in Chicago's Jewish and Venezuelan community.

Leon Oliwkowicz and Christina Beatriz Elvira, an elderly couple who lived in unit 704, were also among the deceased.

They are survived by four children and eleven grandchildren, according to the Miami Herald. The couple was Jewish and Venezuelan and very involved in their communities, according to the Herald.

"Nobody prepares us for such tragedies and harsh news," Brian Fincheltub, the director of Consular Affairs of the Venezuelan Embassy, tweeted on Monday. "Unfortunately, two missing Venezuelans were found dead in Surfside collapse."

Marcus Joseph Guara, 52, was an Argentinian national, and his family is still missing.

Officials announced on June 28 that Marcus Joseph Guara, 52, who was Argentinian, was among the deceased.

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His wife, Ana, and their two daughters, 11-year-old Lucia and 4-year-old Emma, are still missing according to local outlet WPLG.

Luis Bermudez, 26, and Ana Ortiz, 46, and Frank Kleiman, 55, were among the dead.

Luis Bermudez, a Puerto Rican man with muscular dystrophy, and his mother, Ana Ortiz, both died in the tragic collapse. Bermudez had studied graphic design and started a T-shirt brand called Saucy Boyz, according to CNN.

According to CNN, the inside tag on one of the shirts read, "Despite the poor mobility of my hands and fingers because of my muscular dystrophy - I have achieved my dream because of my attitude."

Frank Kleiman, Ortiz's partner, also died in the collapse, authorities confirmed on Monday. His brother Jay Kleiman and their mother are among the missing.

Michael David Altman, 50, was a dual citizen of the US and Costa Rica.

Michael David Altman, who lived in unit 1101 for six years, was also identified by first responders on June 28 as among the deceased. The Herald reported that Altman's family had owned the condo since the 1980s.

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Altman was a dual Costa Rican and US National who came to the US at a young age, and he is survived by his sons, Nicholas and Jeffrey, and his parents.

Nicholas told the Herald Tuesday that his father was "a very loving guy. Always smiling. He was very fun and loved to tell jokes."

Hilda Noriega was a 92-year-old grandmother.

Hilda Noriega was identified by authorities on June 30 as one of the victim's who died in the condo collapse.

Before her body was discovered, Noriega's family said they found her photographs and a birthday card in the debris. Her grandson, Michael Noriega, described his grandmother as "larger than life" and called her "so vibrant, full of energy, extremely independent."

Hilda Noriega was the mother of Florida's North Bay Village Police Chief Carlos Noriega.

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"The Noriegas have lost the 'heart and soul' and 'matriarch' of their family, but will get through this time by embracing the unconditional love Hilda was known for," her family said in a statement, according to CBS Miami.

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