Surfside condo collapse: First responder’s 7-year-old daughter found in rubble

SURFSIDE, Fla. — A first responder was on scene when his daughter’s body was found in the rubble of a collapsed condominium in South Florida.

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A rescuer searching the debris of Champlain Towers Thursday found the man’s 7-year-old daughter, WPLG reported.

“It goes without saying that every night since this last Wednesday has been immensely difficult for everybody,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Friday. “But last night was uniquely different, it was truly different and more difficult for our first responders.”

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When her body was brought down, her father draped his jacket over her and put a U.S. flag on the stretcher. The father, his brother and other rescuers who recovered her body escorted them through groups of first responders lined up along the road. Her identity has not been released.

>> Surfside condo collapse: Death toll rises to 20; 128 unaccounted for

“Our hearts and prayers are with the families affected by this horrific tragedy,” Miami Fire Rescue Chief Joseph Zahralban said Friday. “We can confirm that a member of our City of Miami Fire Department family has lost his 7-year-old daughter in the collapse. She was recovered last night by members of our Urban Search and Rescue Team, Florida Task Force 2.”

“We ask that you respect the privacy of the immediate family as well as our Fire Department family while we grieve our loss and support our own.”

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The search resumed Thursday after it was temporarily stopped.

The number of confirmed dead remains increased to 20, and 128 other people are unaccounted for. The deceased have been identified as Hilda Noriega, 92; Antonio Lozano, 83; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Gladys Lozano, 79; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Frank Kleiman, 55; Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Manuel LaFont, 54; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Michael Davis, 50; Anna Ortiz, 46; Anaely Rodriguez, 42; Luis Bermudez, 26; Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21; Lucia Guara, 10; and Emma Guara, 4.

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