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SURFSIDE, FLA. (WSVN) - An additional victim has been found in the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condo building.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava made the announcement during a Tuesday morning press conference.
“Through the ongoing search and recovery efforts, our teams have recovered an additional victim,” she said.
The discovery brings the total number of confirmed deaths to 95, with 85 of the victims having been identified.
Levine Cava also said that after auditing the list of the missing, officials have determined that 238 people are accounted for, but 14 people are potentially unaccounted for. Levine Cava stressed that the numbers are fluid and can continue to change.
Miami-Dade Police identified five more victims as 26-year-old Andres Levine, 28-year-old Moises Rodan Brief, 61-year-old Mercedes Fuentes Urgelles, 61-year-old Raymond Urgelles and 1-year-old Aishani Gia Patel.
Crews continue their work to de-layer the rubble and get access to lower parts of the pile, but the process of identifying the victims has become more challenging.
It’s a painful reality for families with loved ones still missing as they wait for DNA results to come back.
On Monday, a Significant Weather Advisory forced a pause in the recovery efforts.
“We’ve been de-watering over the past 24 hours in the lower levels, and that’s a constant concern,” said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky.
Under the rubble, rescue crews also found an American flag, a sign of resilience as the New Jersey Task Force tweeted.
Surfside’s Mayor Charles Burkett also provided an update about the investigation on Tuesday.
“Surfside is working with county officials to arrange for access to the site, which has been declared a crime scene, so our expert engineer, who worked on the Pentagon after the 9/11 attacks, can gain access as soon as possible to the site to conduct our investigation,” Burkett said.
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