From left: victims Manuel LaFont, Antonio Lozano and Gladys Lozano, and Stacie Fang.Photo: IRF Global/Youtube; Facebook (2)
As search efforts continue for the victims of theChamplain Towers South Condocollapse, a tenth victim has been pulled from the rubble.
On Monday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cavaconfirmed during a press conferencethat another body had been discovered, bringing the death toll to 10.
With the confirmation of the 10th victim — whose identity was not released — Cava said 135 people were accounted for, while 151 people remained missing.
“Our detectives are working in real time right now to audit this list. We’re receiving multiple calls, still, from family members about the same loved ones and the information is coming from various sources,” she said.
“These numbers are very fluid and will continue to change,” Cava added.
As concern mounts on the fifth day since the nightmare began, “our top priority is search and rescue and find the people,” Cava said. “We’re going to continue and work to exhaust every possible option in our search.”
Here is everything we know about the people who died in Thursday’s tragic incident.
The scene in Surfside, Florida after the condo collapsed.Joe Raedle/Getty
Stacie Fang
Fang, 54, was thefirst identified victim of the Surfside building’s collapse. She was the mother to 15-year-old Jonah Handler, whose rescue wascaught on video, just hours after the collapse.
“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie,” the statement read. “The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received.”
“The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much-needed source of strength during this devastating time,” it continued. “On behalf of Stacie’s son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal.”
Stacie Fang.facebook
Anthony Lozano and Gladys Lozano
“They were found today in the rubble of the collapsed condo building in Surfside,” wrote Ferro in anInstagram tributefor his godmother Gladys, 79, and uncle Anthony, 83. “They were such beautiful people. May they Rest In Peace.”
The couple lived in apartment 903 and died in their sleep, theMiami Heraldreported, citing their son Sergio.
Gladys and Anthony Lozano.Facebook
Manuel LaFont
The 54-year-old father of two, known as Manny, lived in apartment 801 and was a loving father, little league coach and business consultant,PEOPLE reported.
Danny Berry, who runs the Miami Beach Youth Baseball League for which LaFont was a coach, told PEOPLE, “Manny was a great man, and an unbelievable father.”
“He was at the ballpark almost every day working with Santi, always encouraging Santi and always wanting to be there. They were very close,” he added, referring to LaFont’s 10-year-old son.
Fellow coach and LaFont friend Brendan Coyle spoke to his style as a parent.
“I think everyone knows how close of a relationship he had with Santi and how dedicated he was to both of his kids,” Coyle said. “He has raised his kids well and to be tough. It won’t be easy, but they’ll get through this.”
Manuel Lafont.IRF Global/Youtube
“Manny also cared deeply about the development of all the kids he coached or came across at the field,” said Coyle. “I’ll be forever grateful for the positive impact he’s had on my son and the lives of so many kids here and around Miami Beach.”
LaFont worked in specialized manufacturing that created roadway safety. His work was so meaningful to him that, in a2016 interview, he said, “I got into this industry specifically because I don’t want to sell widgets. I want to help people. I want to do something good in this world…When I die, I want to say that my life meant something.”
Listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Dayfor more on the Surfside, Florida condo collapse
LaFont’s 13-year-old daughter Mia and son Santi had been with their father that evening, but Berry confirmed they were safe after Manny’s ex-wife, Adriana LaFont, picked up the kids just hours before the collapse.
RELATED VIDEO: At Least 99 People Still Missing After Multistory Condo Building in Miami Collapses
Luis Bermudez and Anna Ortiz
Bermúdez, 26, and Ortiz, 46, were mother and son, theMiami Heraldreported.
Bermúdez described himself as a man with “a big heart” who was “happy to live another day,” according tohis Instagram bio. He also ran a clothing line, and had"big dreams and ideas."
According to theHerald, Bermúdez had muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair, but that never stopped him from pursuing his goals.
“Because of my attitude I have achieved my dream,“he posted on his Instagram. “The purpose of these designs is to share my art with the world and let them know that despite whatever impediments they may have, they can achieve what they set out in their mind and heart. There are no limits.”
Luis Bermudez and Ana Ortiz.Facebook
As for Ortiz, loved ones told theHeraldshe was a hard-working professional and dedicated mother whorecently became a newlywed.
“She’s a rock star,” friend Alex Garcia said of Ortiz, who was known as Annie. “And gorgeous, and she worked, [she is] an independent woman. And on top of that, a super mom.”
Garcia said he knew Ortiz for over a decade and a half before setting her up on a blind date with his close friend and former high school classmate, Frankie Kleiman.
Kleiman — who is among the 151 missing — married Ortiz three weeks before the collapse, according to theHerald. His brother Jay, mother Nancy and relative Deborah Berezdivin were also in the building but have not yet been found, the outlet reported.
Pictures of the missing people in the Surfside condo collapse.Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Christina Beatriz Elvira and Leon Oliwkowicz
On Sunday, an official for the Venezuelan Embassy to the United States shared his sympathies for Elvira, 74, and Oliwkowicz, 80, 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.
The identities of the last two victims have not been disclosed.
Becky Randel
source: people.com
