What we know about those missing in the Miami building collapse

Ms. Fonte said her sister spoke to her husband on the phone at around 1.30 a.m. on Thursday, shortly before the collapse: “She said the building shook and then the phone died,” said Ms. Fonte.

News of the collapse echoed across the 5,600-resident town of Surfside and the entire Western Hemisphere. Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on Twitter that nearly a third of those reported missing are foreign nationals and that family members from more than a dozen countries are applying for visas so they can travel to the crime scene.

Luis Barth, his wife Catalina Gomez, 46, and their 14-year-old daughter Valeria. The family was visiting Florida from Medellin, Colombia and had come to Miami to vacation, see the family, and get vaccinated.Recognition…Sergio Barth

For Luis Barth, a lawyer from Colombia, and his family, the trip to South Florida served several purposes, according to his brother Sergio Barth. They wanted to see their family in Florida after a long hiatus from the coronavirus pandemic, spend some time on vacation, and get vaccinated here, given the frustratingly slow pace of vaccine adoption in Colombia.

Mr Barth, 51, arrived in Florida with his wife, Catalina Gomez, 46, and their daughter Valeria, 14, on May 25, and all three received the vaccine, Sergio Barth said. Her plan was to briefly stay at a friend’s condo in Champlain Towers before moving to Sergio Barth’s house and continuing her vacation.

Apartment collapse in Miami

Updated

June 29, 2021 at 1:43 p.m. ET

But for some reason they drove to Miami a day earlier than planned. “It’s a matter of God,” said Barth, adding that he repeatedly called the family’s cell phones in vain. “It’s really hard for us to understand and explain.”

The loss – if it is actually a loss – is felt intimate and comprehensive. Luis Barth was politically active in Colombia, previously running a technology and innovation district in Medellín that was central to the city’s efforts to leave the years of drug war violence behind. Ms. Gomez is also a talented lawyer, said Sergio Barth.

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