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Police identify victims of Miami bridge collapse

Police identify victims of Miami bridge collapse
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Police identify victims of Miami bridge collapse
After days of digging through 950 tons of steel and concrete, authorities say the remains of all six victims of the pedestrian bridge collapse in Florida have been recovered.Rescuers have worked day and night to extricate the victims and mangled cars after the pedestrian bridge crumbled Thursday west of downtown Miami."I believe that is the final count," Miami-Dade County Police Director Juan Perez said. "This ends with a tragedy of six. ... We are pretty confident that no one is left."A police motorcade escorted the remains of five victims to the medical examiner's office. A sixth person died at the hospital.The victimsMiami-Dade police have identified five of the people killed in the collapse of the bridge.The span, under construction, was meant to connect the campus of Florida International University with a neighborhood.Alexa Duran, a Florida International student, was in a gray Toyota 4Runner that was removed from underneath the rubble on Saturday afternoon. The 18-year-old was driving under the bridge Thursday when it came crashing down, and a friend traveling with Duran tried to pull her out but was unsuccessful."My little girl was trapped in the car and couldn't get out," her father, Orlando Duran, told El Nuevo Herald, a sister newspaper to The Miami Herald.Duran graduated from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Florida, in 2017, the school said on Facebook.Ecaudorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said on Twitter that Duran's father was Ecuadorian and that the country's consulate is working to learn more about the accident and provide assistance to the family.Alexa Duran's sister, Dina, posted a tribute on Instagram. "Rest In Peace my sweet little sister. Words cannot describe how heavy my heart is. I would give anything to take your place and all of your pain," she said.Brandon Brownfield was killed in the bridge collapse, according to his wife, Chelsea Brownfield. She has been waiting for confirmation since Thursday, but posted on Facebook on Sunday morning that he was killed.Brownfield was a crane technician but was not working on the bridge. In a Facebook post, Chelsea Brownfield said they have three daughters.Navarro Brown, 37, was working on-site at the bridge for Structural Technologies VSL, a company that specializes in bridge cable tension and construction systems, the company told WTVJ. After the bridge collapsed, he was taken to a hospital and died there, police said.Rolando Fraga Hernandez was identified as a victim inside a gold Jeep Cherokee that was removed from underneath the debris on Saturday morning, police said.Oswald Gonzalez, 57, and Alberto Arias, 53, were in a white Chevy truck pulled from the rubble on Saturday, authorities said.

After days of digging through 950 tons of steel and concrete, authorities say the remains of all six victims of the pedestrian bridge collapse in Florida have been recovered.

Rescuers have worked day and night to extricate the victims and mangled cars after the pedestrian bridge crumbled Thursday west of downtown Miami.

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"I believe that is the final count," Miami-Dade County Police Director Juan Perez said. "This ends with a tragedy of six. ... We are pretty confident that no one is left."

A police motorcade escorted the remains of five victims to the medical examiner's office. A sixth person died at the hospital.

The victims
Miami-Dade police have identified five of the people killed in the collapse of the bridge.

The span, under construction, was meant to connect the campus of Florida International University with a neighborhood.

Alexa Duran, a Florida International student, was in a gray Toyota 4Runner that was removed from underneath the rubble on Saturday afternoon. The 18-year-old was driving under the bridge Thursday when it came crashing down, and a friend traveling with Duran tried to pull her out but was unsuccessful.

"My little girl was trapped in the car and couldn't get out," her father, Orlando Duran, told El Nuevo Herald, a sister newspaper to The Miami Herald.

Duran graduated from Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, Florida, in 2017, the school said on Facebook.

Ecaudorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said on Twitter that Duran's father was Ecuadorian and that the country's consulate is working to learn more about the accident and provide assistance to the family.

Alexa Duran's sister, Dina, posted a tribute on Instagram. "Rest In Peace my sweet little sister. Words cannot describe how heavy my heart is. I would give anything to take your place and all of your pain," she said.

Brandon Brownfield was killed in the bridge collapse, according to his wife, Chelsea Brownfield. She has been waiting for confirmation since Thursday, but posted on Facebook on Sunday morning that he was killed.

Brownfield was a crane technician but was not working on the bridge. In a Facebook post, Chelsea Brownfield said they have three daughters.

Navarro Brown, 37, was working on-site at the bridge for Structural Technologies VSL, a company that specializes in bridge cable tension and construction systems, the company told WTVJ. After the bridge collapsed, he was taken to a hospital and died there, police said.

Rolando Fraga Hernandez was identified as a victim inside a gold Jeep Cherokee that was removed from underneath the debris on Saturday morning, police said.

Oswald Gonzalez, 57, and Alberto Arias, 53, were in a white Chevy truck pulled from the rubble on Saturday, authorities said.