The finding that shocked the Miami rescuers: the 7-year-old girl found by her father was the daughter of an Argentine who is still missing

By: MRT Desk

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The finding that shocked the Miami rescuers: the 7-year-old girl found by her father was the daughter of an Argentine who is still missing

It’s about Stella. He lived with his mother Graciela Cattarossi and his grandparents in unit 501 of Champlain Towers South. They are also looking for his aunt Andrea. (Photo: Twitter).

It has been over a week since the Champlain Towers South building collapsed in the middle of the night and the search for 126 missingwhile rescuers they recovered 22 bodies among the rubble. Among them was that of the little Stella, a 7 year old babe daughter of Graciela Cattarossi, an Argentine who lived with her parents and a visiting sister in the Surfside building. All are still missing.

Commotion among the ruins of Champlain Towers South

The case caused a strong commotion in Miami when it was learned that it was her own father, Enrique Arango, who took her out of the building’s ruins. The man is a firefighter and, although he was not affected by the rescue work, he remained in the area of ​​the tragedy in the hope of finding his little daughter.

“When he realized we were close to where his loved one might have been, he stood next to some of his fellow firefighters. We were able to bring her in and then at least give her a chance to say goodbye“Firefighter Ignatius Carroll told the channel Local 10.

A witness said that Arengo, who did not live with the family, he used his jacket to cover the baby’s body and placed a small American flag on the stretcher. Then firefighters and policemen lined up to escort them.

The rescuer Margarita Castro told local media that it was the father “who brought her down from the rubble.” “They were all there with him. It’s a moment, as you can imagine, very difficult. She is a 7 year old girl. All of us, his team and ours, were there when he brought his daughter down ”, he continued.

Stella lived with her mother and grandparents

The girl lived with her mother Graciela, photographer, and her grandparents Guido Cattarossi and Graciela Ponce de León (of Uruguayan nationality) in the apartment 501, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. His aunt is also missing, Andrea, an architect from Pilar who was visiting when the collapse occurred.

The news was confirmed by several city authorities, who avoided giving details as it involved a Miami firefighter. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that “tragically one of the two bodies was that of the 7-year-old daughter of one of our Miami firefighters. They are paying a huge human cost every day, and I ask that you please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers. They truly represent the best of all of us and we have to be there for them as they are here for us, ”said the official.

“We can confirm that a member of our family from the City of Miami Fire Department has lost his 7-year-old daughter in the collapse,” said Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban.

Francis Suárez, Mayor of Miami, also referred to the event and commented that “The firefighter is very affected” after what happened. But he insisted on asking for respect for the family.

In dialogue with the news agency APKathryn Rooney Vera, a friend of Graciela’s, described her as a “dedicated mother whose devotion to her daughter is unmatched.” He also described her as “a hard worker” and “a beautiful person who was loved by everyone.”

The woman said that Cattarossi had given her a photo session years ago when she was pregnant and that they had just exchanged messages hours before the collapse. “We are very devastated by what happened,” he added.

As a photographer, Graciela Cattarossi also worked for important graphic media, such as the Condé Nast group, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal Magazine or the magazine Vanity Fair.

This family is joined by other Argentines who are still missing: Andrés Galfrascoli, 44; Fabián Núñez, 55; and Sofía Galfrascoli Nuñez, 5, daughter of both.

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