Officials identify woman trapped in rubble
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue released a report late Monday identifying a woman trapped under the rubble of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, as Theresa Velasquez.
It marks the first time county officials have provided details of the rescue effort that was made on June 24, 2021, A 12-storey apartment building collapsed, killing 98 peopleone of the worst construction disasters in modern American history.
April 25 reportrecounts how first responders battled carbon monoxide and electric shocks caused by moisture in the power lines of power tools they operated to cut through concrete in an attempt to reach victims.
“For more than two months, I spoke with the officers who worked directly beneath the wreckage in the parking garage area, as well as the crews working on the wreckage at the scene,” said Miami Deputy Chief of Police. -Dade, Raied S. Jadallah wrote in the report. .
“During these visits, we will discuss the details of the operation, lessons learned, as well as the mental and emotional state of the crew,” he said. “At times, the details of the operation come to the fore in conversations that shed light on the insurmountable efforts of our MDFR teams to search for life under the rubble.”
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Back in December, USA TODAY and The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Network, first reported on try to rescue people in the ruins – one of the few people confirmed to be alive. That report identified the survivor as 14-year-old Valeria Barth Gomez.
Reporters named the girl based on public records that said the survivor was with her parents, Luis Fernando Barth Tobar, 51, and Catalina Ramirez Gomez, 45, in unit 204 at the time. building collapse while on vacation from Colombia.
USA TODAY interviewed additional structural engineers, who said the unit was sitting directly above the spot in the garage where the rescue operation was taking place and it was likely someone from that unit was trapped. stuck.
Other records indicate that a fire broke out during the rescue operation in a location where first responders were cutting with tools. Valeria’s body was burned, according to the medical examiner’s report.
Both Valeria and her parents died after the crash.
But Jadallah writes that evidence points to Valasquez, 36, as the victim because the respondent who spoke during the rescue effort spoke unclear English. The report also notes that the survivor did not cry or call her parents like younger people might do, and that the location of her body was consistent with where the rescue operation took place.
Valasquez is in unit 304 – right above Barth.
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The report countered USA TODAY’s reporting, such as its coverage of tools used in search and rescue operations, and by rescuers that caused the fires, adding: “Spontaneous fires are not uncommon when damaged electric vehicles (EVs) ignite during operation.” The fire may also have been fanned by afternoon winds.
There are no reports that rescuers asked the victim for her name.
In an email to USA TODAY, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said its department has “an obligation to the families of the victims to provide them with information obtained based on a thorough and thorough review.” about processes, procedures and evidence.
“While this process takes time, it stems from our continued commitment and dedication to our family and community for truth and transparency. They have been and will continue to be. our priority,” the email added.