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Remembering The Victims Identified So Far In The Champlain Towers Collapse

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

And we want to take a moment now to share some more of what we know about the confirmed lives lost so far in Surfside, Fla.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

One of them is Stacie Fang, who was 54 years old and the mother of 15-year-old Jonah Handler. Rescuers pulled Handler from the rubble shortly after the tower collapsed on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, first responders were able to rush Fang to the hospital, but she didn't survive. She died there from her injuries.

SHAPIRO: Antonio Lozano was 83 years old. He died along with his wife Gladys, who was 79. They had enjoyed dinner with their son Sergio the night before the building collapsed.

CHANG: Sergio lived in another one of the Champlain condominium towers and could see his parents' apartment from his own. Then early Thursday morning, he heard loud noises. Here's what he told Miami Local 10 TV on Friday.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SERGIO LOZANO: My wife was walking behind me because she was going to help me bring in the patio furniture. And I tell her, Rona (ph), the building's not there (crying). She's yelling, saying, what do you mean? I go, my parents' apartment's not there. It's gone.

CHANG: According to the Miami Herald, Sergio's parents were originally from Cuba. They had been married for almost 60 years.

SHAPIRO: Manuel LaFont was 54 years old, a native of Houston and a father of two. His former wife, Adriana LaFont, had picked up the kids on Wednesday night. She spoke to Houston's ABC 13 on Saturday morning.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ADRIANA LAFONT: I lived in that building for 10 years. My kids were born there. They learned how to swim in that pool. We had birthday parties, first communions, baptism - so many, so many memories.

CHANG: There were also Leon Oliwkowicz, who was 80, and his wife Christina Beatriz, who was 74. They were among six Venezuelans said to be caught in the collapse. They were also members of Surfside's Jewish community and its synagogue.

SHAPIRO: Then there was a Puerto Rican son and his mother. Luis Bermudez was 26 years old and his mother Anna Ortiz was 46.

CHANG: As search and rescue efforts continue, the death toll is expected to increase. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said today that relatives of the victims are being notified before making their names public. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Ari Shapiro has been one of the hosts of All Things Considered, NPR's award-winning afternoon newsmagazine, since 2015. During his first two years on the program, listenership to All Things Considered grew at an unprecedented rate, with more people tuning in during a typical quarter-hour than any other program on the radio.
Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist who hosts All Things Considered along with Ari Shapiro, Audie Cornish, and Mary Louise Kelly. She landed in public radio after practicing law for a few years.
Alejandra Marquez Janse
Alejandra Marquez Janse is a producer for NPR's evening news program All Things Considered. She was part of a team that traveled to Uvalde, Texas, months after the mass shooting at Robb Elementary to cover its impact on the community. She also helped script and produce NPR's first bilingual special coverage of the State of the Union – broadcast in Spanish and English.
Ashley Brown is a senior editor for All Things Considered.