Number of Missing Rises to 156 as Building Collapse Claims 5th Victim
The collapse of the Champlain Towers South has claimed another victim, bringing the total confirmed fatalities to 5.
NPR.org reports that authorities have identified the four previously confirmed victims as 54-year-old Stacie Dawn Fang, 54-year-old Manuel LaFont, 79-year-old Gladys Lozano, and 83-year-old Antonio Lozano. The report did not identify the 5th victim.
Authorities say that the search and rescue effort for the 156 missing people continues. Rescue workers are using every tool at their disposal to conduct the search, including search and rescue dogs, video equipment, and sonar.
Rescue efforts had been hampered by a fire that had been smoldering in beneath the rubble. Firefighters report that the blaze has now been mostly extinguished, allowing rescuers more direct access to the collapse site.
As the search, rescue, and recovery at Champlain Towers South continues to play out, some residents of Champlain Towers North, which did not collapse, are expressing anxiety that their building may be at risk of collapse as well.
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told reporters that the North tower was “probably built with the same plans, it was probably built with the same materials,” but that a cursory review of the building did not turn up any obvious problems.
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