The seven-year-old daughter of a Miami firefighter was among two dead found overnight in the ruins of a collapsed apartment building in Florida. The number of victims has increased to 20, while 128 people are still missing.
«This tragedy follows on the heels of so many of us, because many of us know someone who was in the building or was affected by this tragedy,» Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Friday at a news conference.
«Now we also know someone, who is a member of our family, our fire family.»
According to officials, the father did not participate in the search as part of his professional duties and joined them voluntarily, hoping that he could help find his daughter and other missing people among the wreckage.
According to the Miami Herald, the firefighter and his brother, also a firefighter, had been on duty at the scene since last week, waiting until the girl was found. According to the Herald, citing unnamed sources, about 200 officers saluted when her body was taken away.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levin Kava called the night «exceptionally difficult» for the rapid response services.
«Please remember them in your thoughts and prayers,» she said.
«They really represent the best in all of us, and we should be close to them.»
To date, authorities have still not established what led to the collapse of the 40-year-old condominium.
