Children aged 5, 6 and 9 are confirmed dead in Miami condo collapse as death toll rises to 94: Remains of 83 are formally named but mayor says it is becoming difficult to identify remains found in the rubble

Marie July 12, 2021

Three young children were confirmed among the dead of the Surfside condo collapse as the official death toll rose to 94 on Monday morning, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said it was becoming increasingly difficult to identify the human remains found in the rubble.

Of the 94 bodies found, 83 have been officially identified and next of kin informed, and 22 people remain 'potentially unaccounted'.

Ten more victims of the deadly collapse were named, including three of the youngest at ages 5, 6 and 9.

As of Sunday, at least 15 lawsuits have been filed in connection with the condo collapse.

Officials announced that the body of five-year-old Lorenzo De Oliveira Leone was found along with his father Alfredo, 48.

Also identified were sisters Anna Sophia Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 6, and Alexia Maria Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 9.

The girls were the daughters of Sophia Lopez Moreira, the sister of Paraguay's first lady, and were the last remaining members of their family to be identified.

Their mother; father, Luis Pettengill; and housekeeper Leidy Vanessa Luna Villalba were recovered and identified on Thursday.

Their brother, three-year-old Luis Vicente Pettengill Lopez Moreira III was the youngest victim of the tragedy, and was identified on Friday.

Sisters Alexia Maria Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 9, (far left) and Anna Sophia Pettengill Lopez Moreira, 6, (far right) were among the 10 victims of the collapse named on Sunday. They were the daughters of Sophia López Moreira and her husband Luis Pettengill, and sister to three-year-old Luis Vicente Pettengill Lopez Moreira III. The whole family perished in the collapse

Sophia López Moreira with her daughters. They lived on the 10th floor of the condo

Alfredo and his son Lorenzo Leone were among the victims identified Sunday

The family lived together in an apartment on the 10th floor of the condo. Moreira is the sister of President Mario Abdo Benítez's wife Silvana.

The body of Julio Cesar Velasquez, 66, was also identified. His wife Angela Velasquez, 60, was confirmed among the victims last week.

The other victims named Sunday were Richard Augustine, 77; Edgar Gonzalez, 42; Luis Sadovnic, 28; Maria Gabriela Camou Font, 64; and Maria Torre, 76.

The victim identification process is being carried out at the site of the collapse, with police and scientists from the county medical examiner's office comparing DNA from recovered human remains to that of the families of those missing.

Police and medical examiner teams were continuing to work around the clock to identify victims, but Mayor Levine Cava said 'the process of making identifications has become more difficult as time goes on.'

'At this step of the recovery process we must rely heavily on the work of the medical examiner's office,' she explained. 'They are undertaking technical and scientific processes to identify the human remains. The process is very methodical, careful and it does take time.'

Authorities searching for victims of a deadly collapse in Florida said they hope to conclude their painstaking work in the coming weeks, as a team of first responders from Israel departed the site.

Crews continued to search the remaining pile of rubble, peeling layer after layer of debris in search of bodies. The unrelenting search has resulted in the recovery of over 14 million pounds of concrete and debris, Levine Cava said.

Julio Cesar Velasquez, 66, was also identified Sunday. He is pictured with his wife Angela Velasquez, 60, who was identified last week

Edgar Gonzalez, 42, and Luis Sadovnic, 28, were also among the victims named Sunday

Police also named Maria Torre, 76. She is pictured with her husband Gonzalo, who was identified on July 3

Chicago native Richard Augustine, was also among the 10 victims named Sunday

Julio Cesar Velasquez, 66, was also identified. His wife Angela Velasquez, 60, (also pictured) was confirmed among the victims last week

Officials announced that the toll from the Miami condo collapse had risen to 94 deaths, with 83 victims identified Monday morning

Ten more victims of the deadly collapse were named, including three of the youngest at ages 5, 6 and 9.

Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said it was uncertain when recovery operations would be completed because it remains hard to know when the final body would be found.

When the recovery phase began Wednesday, officials were hoping it could be done within three weeks. In an interview Sunday morning near the site, Cominsky said it might now be as few as two weeks, based on the current pace of work.

'We were looking at a 14-day to 21-day timeframe,' he said, adding that the timeline remained 'a sliding scale.'

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett stressed the care that rescue workers are taking in peeling back layers of rubble in hopes of recovering not only bodies but also possessions of the victims. He said the work is so delicate that crews have found unbroken wine bottles amid the rubble.

'It doesn´t get any less difficult and finding victims, that experience doesn't change for our search and rescue folks,' he said. 'It takes a toll, but you´ve got to love the heart that they´re putting into this and we´re very grateful.'

As of Sunday, at least 15 lawsuits have been filed in connection with the condo collapse amid allegations that the disaster was foreseeable.

The condo association has been accused of ignoring a 2018 report by structural engineers who cited widespread damage, with some lawsuits saying they are guilty of negligence resulting in wrongful death.

Search and Rescue teams continue to look for bodies in the rubble at the site of the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South

Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said it was uncertain when recovery operations would be completed

Owners of units in the condo building were just days away from a deadline to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in major repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier.

That cost estimate, from the Morabito Consultants engineering firm in 2018, meant owners at Champlain Towers South were facing payments of anywhere from $80,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $330,000 or so for a penthouse, to be paid all at once or in installments. Their first deadline was July 1.

One resident whose apartment was spared, Adalberto Aguero, had just taken out a loan to cover his $80,000 bill.

Multiple investigations are under way to determine the cause of the sudden collapse, though preliminary findings show the building's structure appeared degraded in spots.

Authorities are launching a grand jury investigation into the collapse.

A 2018 report released by city officials revealed fears of 'major structural damage' in the complex, from the concrete slab under the pool deck to columns and beams in the parking garage.

On Saturday night, members of the community walked along Collins Avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, to pay tribute to the crews that have come from across the country - and as far as Israel and Mexico - to help in the rescue, and now recovery, effort.

The Israeli search and rescue team arrived in South Florida shortly after the building collapsed on June 24 and was heading home Sunday.

Members of the crews that have been searching the site 24 hours a day since the collapse lined both sides of the street, shaking hands and bidding farewell to the Israeli team.

The Israeli team joined other task forces from around the United States to assist first responders from Miami and Miami-Dade County, working in 12-hour shifts.

They have searched through South Florida's intense summer heat, and in pouring rain, pausing only when lightning was spotted nearby.

They also paused operations as officials made plans to demolish the still-standing portion of the condo tower on July 4.

The Israeli team used blueprints of the building to create detailed 3D images of the disaster site to aid in the search.

They also gathered information from families of the missing, many of whom were Jewish, to build a room-by-room model laying out where people would have been sleeping during the pre-dawn collapse.

Members of the Israeli search and rescue team , whom had come to assist in the efforts headed home Sunday

Search and rescue teams have been working on site since shortly after the June 24 collapse

Levina Cava said the memorial walk on Saturday night was 'a beautiful moment.' She gave the keys to the county to the Israeli commander and colonel - her first two handed out as mayor.

Four teams from Florida, Indiana and Pennsylvania are still dedicated to the recovery effort, Cominsky said. Teams from Virginia, New Jersey and Ohio are preparing to leave.

'To give you an answer when we feel we'll recover everyone, I can´t give you an exact date,' the fire chief said. 'We're doing everything that we can - everything possible - until we feel that we´ve delayered every floor.

As the recovery effort continues, footage emerged this weekend shot by a prospective buyer which showed cracks and puddles in the Surfside condo building in Miami a year before it collapsed.

The video, which was shared with DailyMail.com, was taken in the garage of the Champlain Towers South building in July last year.

Fiorella Terenzi, who had toured the complex in anticipation of buying a unit on the sixth floor, said what she saw in the garage ultimately turned her off buying in the building.

Terenzi's video showed wide cracks in the ceiling of the garage that appeared to have been repaired and painted over.

It also showed what appeared to be water puddles in the ceiling.