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On a day when Gov. Ron DeSantis was meeting privately in Surfside with victims of the Champlain Towers collapse, a funeral was going on in New York City.
Five weeks of agony and the torment of not being able to put her to rest ended Tuesday for the family of Estelle Hedaya. She was the last victim recovered from the rubble. So her loved ones finally have closure.
“But it’s been devastating to all of us, Estelle was our shining star, she was the joy of all of our lives,” said Regina Elo, Estelle s aunt, outside the synagogue in Brooklyn.
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Last victim identified at condo collapse site
The last victim of the Florida condo collapse has been identified. Ikey Hedaya told The Associated Press on Monday that his sister Estelle Hedaya was the last victim. Mayor Danielle Levina Cava also confirmed that the last victim was identified. (July 26) AP
Updated July 26
Last victim ID’d in Florida condo building collapse
Estelle Hedaya, 54, loved to travel, took solace in her faith and was a fearless friend.
By KELLI KENNEDYAssociated Press
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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The final victim of the condo building collapse in Florida has been identified, a relative said Monday, more than a month after the middle-of-the-night catastrophe that ultimately claimed 98 lives and became the largest non-hurricane related emergency response in state history.
Estelle Hedaya, an outgoing 54-year-old with a love of travel, was the last to be identified, ending what her relatives described as a torturous four-week wait. Her younger brother, Ikey Hedaya, confirmed the news to The Associated Press. A funeral was scheduled for Tuesday.
Remains of the last person still listed as missing in the collapse of a Florida condominium tower on June 24 have been recovered and identified, bringing the final confirmed death toll to 98, Miami-Dade County officials said on Monday.
Remains of the latest victim, Estelle Hedaya, 54, were found by search teams on July 20, and medical examiners had been working since then to positively identify her before making Monday’s announcement, authorities said at a news conference.
The Miami-Dade fire department’s round-the-clock search for additional victims at the beachfront site of the Champlain Towers South condo, in the Miami suburb of Surfside, was demobilized last Friday.