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A year later, Surfside remembers 98 victims of condo collapse

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The names of each victim were read aloud during a ceremony Friday to mark the somber anniversary, attended by political figures, first responders and family members of those who died at Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021.
A year ago in the middle of the night, a 12-story oceanfront apartment building in Surfside, Florida, came down with a thunderous roar, leaving a giant pile of rubble and claiming 98 lives — one of the deadliest residential collapses in U.S. history. The names of each victim were read aloud during a ceremony Friday to mark the somber anniversary, attended by political figures, first responders and family members of those who died at Champlain Towers South on June 24, 2021.
“Exactly 365 days ago, my house imploded, my home collapsed with everything and everyone inside but. I am alive, and I have the chance to rediscover something that motivates me to smile again, to fight, to be a whole person,” said Raquel Oliveira, whose husband and 5-year-old son died in the collapse.
“Let’s not give up on justice, love, gratitude, forgiveness. Let’s not give up life. We have not come this far just to come this far,” she added. Raquel Oliveira, whose husband and son were killed, speaks Friday during a remembrance event at the site of the Champlain Towers South building collapse in Surfside, Fla. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)
The disaster was the largest nonhurricane emergency response in Florida history. It drew rescue crews from across the U.S. and as far away as Israel to help local teams dig through the pile and search for victims. They were honored Friday for their difficult work.
“Your dedication and selflessness were on display for the entire world,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Thank you for your heroic efforts.”
Before the public ceremony organized by the town of Surfside, there was a private torch-lighting gathering at the time — about 1:25 a.m. — when the 136-unit condominium fell a year ago.

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