Latest ID victim in apartment building collapse in Florida

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – The latest victim of a Florida apartment building collapse has been identified, a relative said Monday, more than a month after the midnight disaster that ultimately killed 98 people and became the largest non-hurricane emergency response. in the history of the state.

Estelle Hedaya, a 54-year-old who loves to travel, was the last to be identified, ending what her relatives described as a tortured four-week wait. Her younger brother, Ike Hedaya, confirmed the news to the Associated Press. A funeral was scheduled for Tuesday.

It comes just days after rescuers officially completed the arduous and emotionally burdensome task of removing layers of dangerous debris and recovering dozens of bodies.

“She always remembered God anytime she was struggling with anything,” he said, adding that he was drawing strength from God, just as he had seen his sister do it in troubled times.

The site of the collapse was destroyed on June 24 at the Champlain Towers South Ocean, and the debris was transported to a warehouse in Miami. Although forensic scientists and rabbis are still working, including examining the wreckage in the warehouse, seeking to recover any additional remains and personal items.

In the end, crews found no evidence that anyone found dead survived the initial collapse, Fire Chief Alan Kominsky said.

Research teams spent weeks battling rubble hazards, including an unstable part of the building swaying above, frequent fires, the stifling Florida summer heat and thunderstorms. They passed more than 14,000 tons (13,000 metric tons) of broken concrete and rebar before finally declaring the job completed.

“For the past 33 days, they have searched the rubble as if they were looking for their own wreck,” Mayor Daniela Levine Cava said during a press conference on Monday.

The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue urban search and rescue team pulled out of the site Friday in a convoy of fire trucks and other vehicles. Officials saluted their bravery, saying they worked 12-hour shifts while camping at the site and also dealt with a heavy emotional burden.

The tragedy in the small town of Surfside led to an outpouring of love from around the world as locals donated their homes and apartments to the victims, colorful cards to rescue children and piles and piles of food were donated and tens of millions of dollars were raised for the victims.

The mayor expressed hope that these kindnesses will be “a powerful and lasting reminder of how deeply connected we truly are in the best of times and in the worst of times.”

Among the dead were members of the area’s large Orthodox Jewish community, the sister of the First Lady of Paraguay, her family and their nanny, along with an entire family of four including a local salesman, his wife and their two young daughters, 4 and 11, who were buried in the same coffin.

Linda Marsh, a 58-year-old lawyer and former associate in New York, was a close friend of Hedaya. Oddly enough, the two were the last three victims identified, along with 24-year-old Canadian Anastasia Gromova.

Leah Sutton, who has known Hedaya since birth and considers herself a second mother to her, said she and Mars are “two strengths to be reckoned with.”

“Our two beautiful and fearless girlfriends, who are finally rescued, must believe there is a reason to be last,” she said on Monday. Estelle’s love for God was unbelievable and unwavering.

In the meantime, it is not clear what will happen at the site of the collapse. A judge presiding over several lawsuits filed in the wake of the collapse wants the property to be sold at market prices, which would bring in an estimated $100 million or more. Some apartment owners want to rebuild, others say a memorial should be erected to remember the dead.

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Associated Press contributing writer David Fisher of Miami

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