The tragedy at the collapse of the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida, took a heartbreaking turn just last night. As the crew was searching through the debris, one Miami firefighter would make a gut-wrenching discovery.
Source: Leisa Audette
It’s hard to fathom, but a Miami firefighter was assisting with search operations when the body of his 7-year-old daughter was discovered.
Local10 reports one first responder at the scene said the girl was pulled from the rubble while her father was helping sift through the wreckage on Thursday night. After finding the young girl, the witness also said her father wrapped his daughter’s body in his jacket and placed a small American flag on the gurney as she was carried out.
The father, his brother, and others who helped dig the young girl out of the rubble escorted her body through a group of police and firefighters lined up on the roadway. The victim and her father were not identified.
During a press conference today, Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban confirmed the body of a seven-year-old girl was recovered during last night’s search and that she was the daughter of a first responder:
‘We can confirm that a member of our City of Miami Fire Department family has lost his seven-year-old daughter in the collapse.’
‘She was recovered last night by members of our Urban Search and Rescue Team, Florida Task Force 2.’
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the young girl was “a member of our fire family.”
The discovery of the young girl brings the death toll to 20.
The crews are continuing to work to try and find others, but it’s a tough job:
There is talk of demolishing the remainder of the building ahead of a tropical storm, but concerns about adding to the debris raise questions about whether it’s a good plan.
Information from Miami-Dade Rescue on how to help those impacted by this tragedy:
