At least 22 Latin Americans among the missing after Miami building collapse

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL –  Three Uruguayans, 6 Paraguayans, 9 Argentinians and 4 Venezuelans were reported missing after the building collapsed, according to the countries’ consulates in Miami.

The sister of the first lady of Paraguay, Sophia Lopez Moreira, her husband and 3 children, are among the missing.

This was confirmed by the Paraguayan Foreign Ministry through Twitter: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay advises that it is permanently monitoring the collapse of a residential building in Miami, USA. So far, 6 Paraguayans are reported missing.”

In another message, he added: “So far, 6 Paraguayans are reported missing, namely: Luis Pettengill, Sophia López Moreira, Lady L. Villalba and three minors.”

Silvana López Moreira, wife of Paraguayan President Mario Abdo, is to travel to Miami this Thursday evening, the Presidency reported.

According to a statement from the Argentine consulate in Miami, there are at least 9 Argentinians among the missing. One of them, who was being sought in Miami after the building collapsed, was found alive, according to diplomatic sources consulted by Infobae. “He was included in the list by mistake,” they said.

For his part, the Uruguayan consul in the city, Eduardo Bouzout, said that there is no news of the 3 Uruguayans.

Carlos Vecchio, Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States, confirmed that 4 Venezuelan citizens are missing. “We lament this news that today shocks the people of Miami,” he added.

In addition to the 100 missing – a number that could increase as the hours pass – there is a woman dead, and a massive deployment of first responders in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The tragedy occurred at around 2 AM (local time), between 88th Street and Collins Avenue in Surfside, near Miami Beach, in a building that is part of the Champlain Towers complex. Firefighters have been conducting a massive search and rescue operation at the site for several hours.

Authorities have not yet detailed the number of people living in the building or the possible causes for the collapse.

Police cut off nearby streets and dozens of rescue vehicles and fire engines, ambulances and police rushed to the scene. The collapse raised a cloud of dust that spread through the neighborhood, covering cars on the street as far as two blocks away.

During Thursday afternoon, the authorities in charge of the rescue operation after the building collapsed in Miami-Dade, reported that in recent minutes a fire broke out in the area where they are looking for survivors, but that it was put out without any further damage.

Source: infobae