Chicago resident's body recovered from rubble of Surfside condo collapse
CHICAGO - A Chicago resident's body has been recovered from the rubble where a condo collapsed in Surfside, Florida two weeks ago, officials said.
Juan Mora, a Loyola graduate, and his parents were among those who were missing after the Champlain Towers South building collapsed on June 24.
"We at Loyola University Chicago are devastated to hear that Loyola's Quinlan School of Business school alumnus Juan Mora lost his life in the Surfside condo collapse. Juan was a cherished and active member of the Loyola community, and we pray for his family, friends, and colleagues during this extraordinarily difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the Surfside tragedy," said Anna Rozenich, Spokesperson for Loyola University Chicago.
Mora was also an employee of Morton Salt based in the Chicago headquarters office.
Morton Salt also released a statement following the death of Mora that read, in part:
"Morton Salt is devastated to learn of the loss of our dear colleague and friend Juan Mora as a result of the Champlain Towers South condo building collapse in Surfside, Florida. The official confirmation brings immense shock and sadness to our entire Morton Salt team.
Juan was a bright light in our lives and known throughout our company as an extremely friendly, kind, thoughtful, compassionate and humorous individual. He regularly went above and beyond in his role to improve our business and company culture, and always demonstrated great dedication, passion and pride in everything he did."
Mora worked for Morton Salt since January of 2016, and served as Manager of Bulk Distribution, East Coast.
Morton Salt also made a $25,000 donation to The Surfside Hardship Fund in Mora's memory.
SURFSIDE, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: Search and Rescue personnel work after the partial collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 24, 2021 in Surfside, Florida. It is unknown at this time how many people were injured as search-an
Rescuers have spent 15 days digging in the mound of concrete and twisted steel in Surfside, which is located just north of Miami Beach, searching in vain for any survivors.
However, late Wednesday, the rescue turned into a recovery effort after authorities concluded there was "no chance of life" in the rubble.
The death toll climbed to 64 people Thursday.
The cause of the collapse of the Champlain, which was built in 1981, remains under investigation.
Crews have removed 124 tons of debris from the site, which was being sorted and stored in a warehouse as potential evidence, officials said.
A few others who are believed to be missing in the collapse have ties to Chicago.
University of Chicago student Ilan Naibryf is also among those missing. He is a rising fourth-year physics and molecular engineering student described by a friend as a tremendous person filled with love.
A social media post says that Ilan and his girlfriend Deborah Berezdivin were in the building that collapsed.
Chicago native 77-year-old Richard Augustine is also missing.
"I don't feel like it's gonna be a good outcome because I know where he was in the building," his daughter Debbie Hill said. "And I know how the building collapsed."
FOX 32's Brittany Garzillo, The Associated Press and the FOX TV Digital Team contributed to this report.