The final victim of the 98 people killed in the collapse of the condominium building in Surfside, Florida has been identified.<\/b>
\nThe final victim of the 98 people killed in the collapse of the condominium building collapse in Surfside, Florida, has been identified. Gregarious,54-year-old Estelle Hedaya was the last victim whose name was released, ending what her relatives described as a torturous four-week wait, The Associated Press reported Monday. Her identity was confirmed to AP by her younger brother, Ikey Hedaya, just days after rescuers officially concluded the painstaking and emotionally heavy task of removing layers of dangerous debris and pulling out dozens of bodies. \u201cToday I can report that because of the sustained heroic efforts the last remaining missing person has now been accounted for and identified and the family notified,\u201d Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in a press briefing Monday. In total,98 victims have been identified, she said \u2014 97 who were recovered from the collapse and one person who died in the hospital \u2013 and all the families notified. \u201cAll 97 people for whom we had missing person reports have been recovered, and a total 242 people are accounted for,\u201d Cava said. The Miami-Dade Police Department will continue to search the rubble \u201cto ensure that all the identifiable human remains are recovered,\u201d she said. Victims were as young as 1-year-old Aishani Gia Patel and ranged up to Hilda Noriega,92. The building partially collapsed in the middle of the night on June 24, as most of its occupants were sleeping. Dozens made harrowing escapes, and several people were injured. \u201cNothing we can say or do will bring back these 98 angels, who left behind grieving families, loving friends, loved ones across this community and the world,\u201d Cava said. \u201cBut we have done everything possible to bring closure to the families, and I am especially proud that through these tireless efforts we were able at last to bring closure to all those who reported missing loved ones.\u201d One of those bereaved families was that of Hedaya, a deeply spiritual person, her brother said. \u201cShe always mentioned God anytime she was struggling with anything,\u201d Ikey Hedaya told AP. \u201cShe had reached a different level spiritually, which allowed her to excel in all other areas.\u201d The Brooklyn-born Hedaya was director of operations at Continental Buying Group (CBG) and Preferred Jewelers International and had been involved in the jewelry industry since high school, her employer told AP. Authorities have carted off more than 22 million pounds of debris which is being stored in a warehouse and forensically analyzed. The unstable other half of the building was demolished not long after the collapse in advance of Hurricane Elsa, which threatened to send debris tumbling down onto the wreckage – though in the end, no one who had been trapped appeared to have survived the initial collapse, according to Fire Chief Alan Cominsky. With News Wire Services<\/p>\n