A Filipina American who went missing in the collapse of a condominium building block near Miami Beach, Florida has been confirmed as one of the victims.
The body of Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, 69, was recovered on Friday, July 2, along with her husband, Claudio Bonnefoy, 85, and two other victims, according to a tweet by the Miami-Dade Police.
“#UPDATE 43: We have identified four additional victims who tragically and unexpectedly lost their lives in the Surfside building collapse, including the daughter of one of the first responders. Please keep their families and loved ones in your prayers,” it said on Friday.
Obias-Bennefoy’s niece, Bettina Obias, also confirmed that the remains of her aunt and uncle have been retrieved.
“My aunt Maricoy & uncle Claudio’s bodies were found today. We are deeply grateful to the rescue teams [especially] the Israeli team who found them together,” she wrote in a Facebook post.
She went on to reiterate her close relationship with the couple and thank everyone for offering prayers.
“But my heart is broken. She’s the last person to deserve such a horrible fate. Tita Coy’s my Mom here in the U.S. I lived with her for over 7 years. She gave me so much love, support & understanding, and she sacrificed so much for me, so I could have a good future. Tito Claudio was a very bright, sweet & private man. We both love reading,” said Obias.
“Rest In Peace with Tita Coy my dearest sweet uncle Claudio. I miss & love you both so much, Tita Coy & Tito Claudio. Thank you for your prayers,” she added.
The Bonnefoys resided in unit 1001 on the 10th floor of the Champlain Towers South Condominium.
The incident happened at about 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 24, as previously reported by the Asian Journal.
Champlain Towers is made up of three buildings that are each 12 stories tall and contain 342 units. Its oceanfront side, which has 136 units, partially collapsed, taking down approximately 55 units.
At least 28 have been confirmed dead following the collapse, while 117 remain unaccounted for, as of Monday, July 5.
