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Last victim of Surfside condo collapse identified, death toll stands at 98

Surfside Memorial Wall
Building Collapse Miami Surfside
Posted at 3:34 PM, Jul 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-26 17:21:04-04

SURFSIDE, Fla. -- The last, and 98th victim from the condo collapse on June 24 in Surfside, Florida, has been identified. Families for all 98 victims - 97 who died in the collapse and one that died in the hospital - have been notified, according to county leaders. A total of 242 people are now accounted for from the condo tower.

The remains of the last missing person, 54-year-old Estelle Hedaya, were finally found, her family identified to multiple mediaoutlets.

"In the 33 days since, first responders ... have worked tirelessly to recover victims from the collapse and bring closure to the families," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Monday afternoon.

Search teams spent weeks battling weather hazards and dangers from the giant pile of rubble before declaring the search and recovery efforts complete at the Champlain Towers South condo location.

Efforts still continue, according to Cava, who said crews are working to remove all human remains from the debris.

"We're going to keep going until we're done," officials said.

It's still unclear why part of the condo tower collapsed in the early morning hours of June 24.