Surfside condo collapse: Death toll rises to 18; 2 children identified

SURFSIDE, Fla. — The death toll following Thursday’s deadly partial condo building collapse in Surfside has grown to 18 as crews continue to search the rubble for survivors, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Wednesday.

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Update 8:27 p.m. EDT June 30: Authorities identified the two children who were found Wednesday evening as Lucia Guara, 10; and Emma Guara, 4. The two girls were sisters, the Miami Herald reported. The other people found Wednesday were identified as Anaely Rodriguez, 42, who was the mother of the two sisters; and Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21.

Other deceased at the site were identified as Hilda Noriega, 92; Antonio Lozano, 83; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Gladys Lozano, 79; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Frank Kleiman, 55; Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Manuel LaFont, 54; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Michael Davis, 50; Anna Ortiz, 46; Michael Altman, 50; and Luis Bermudez, 26.

Update 6:55 p.m. EDT June 30: Officials said a contingency plan will be in place if a tropical system threatens South Florida next week, Charles Cyrille, Miami-Dade County Office of Emergency Management, said during a news conference.

“We will be ready if a tropical system becomes an issue,” Cyrille said.

The storm, listed by the National Hurricane Center as “potential tropical cyclone five,” could impact southeastern Florida next week. The storm is currently located east of the Lesser Antilles, the hurricane center said.

“This would add insult to injury,” Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo told CNN.

Update 6:42 p.m. EDT June 30: Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a news conference that the death toll has risen to 18, with two children among the deceased.

The children were 4 and 10, the mayor said.

“It is with great sorrow and real pain that I have to announce that the two people were children,” Levine Cava said. “The loss of children is too great to bear. We are mourning the families who have lost loved ones.”

The mayor said the number of people now accounted for is 139, while there are still 147 people unaccounted for.

Original report: The death toll following Thursday’s deadly partial condo building collapse in Surfside has grown to 16 as crews continue to search the rubble for survivors, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Wednesday.“We’ve now recovered four additional victims,” the mayor said.

The names of the four people whose bodies were recently found have not been released pending next-of-kin notifications, Cava said. Police have released the names of 12 other victims who died in the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South building.

>> Related: Surfside condo collapse: 12th victim identified as search continues in Florida

Authorities have identified the deceased as: Hilda Noriega, 92; Antonio Lozano, 83; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Gladys Lozano, 79; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Frank Kleiman, 55; Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Manuel LaFont, 54; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Michael Davis, 50; Anna Ortiz, 46; and Luis Bermudez, 26.

As of Wednesday morning, 147 people remained unaccounted for, Cava said, adding that officials continued working to audit the list of missing people to remove duplicates and verify reports.

“The numbers are fluid and will continue to change,” she said.

>> Related: Rosendo Prieto, ex-Surfside building official who signed off on condo, placed on leave

Crews continue working to clear the rubble, searching for pockets where people may have survived the building collapse. The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.

Officials were also watching a pair of storm systems in the region in an abundance of caution, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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