[Epoch Times on July 1, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) The collapse of an apartment building in Surfside, Florida last Thursday (June 24) has caused at least 18 people Death, 145 people are still missing. A female household was lucky enough to escape due to many “coincidences” before the last moment.
She is Iliana Monteagudo. Six months ago, she had just moved from Miami to Champlain Towers South in Surfside. She said that if it were not for the many “coincidences” in the “last night” spent in the apartment, she believed she would not live today.
Montegudo told CNN that on the night when the apartment building collapsed, for unexplained reasons, she put her pills and credit card in her purse and also lit candles for Lady Guadalupe . The Virgin of Guadalupe is the title of the Virgin Mary granted by the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the Virgin Mary who manifested in a portrait of the Virgin Mary in Mexico.
Then she went to bed. But at about 1:00 in the morning, she was suddenly awakened by a “rare force”.
She thought it was the wind blowing from the balcony. So she went to the living room and wanted to close the balcony door. However, when she turned around, she saw a crack in the ceiling, which was winding down the wall and opening quickly.
“There was a voice in me saying,’Run! You have to run to save your life.'” Montegudo recalled.
So she immediately put on the clothes she could find, grabbed the phone and wallet, blew out the candles, and ran out of the apartment.
After rushing into the corridor, she found it was quiet there: no panic, no alarm, and no other people running.
She knew that she couldn’t take the elevator, but she didn’t know that the emergency exit stairs were next to her unit, so she went to the furthest set of stairs.
“If I knew, maybe I would take that group (the nearest stairs).” Montegudo said.
However, when she quickly walked down the sixth floor while begging God to let her see her children and grandchildren again, she heard the sound of the tower where she lived crashing down. Her son said that if she walked the set of stairs closest to home, she would probably be crushed to death inside.
Son Andres Alvarez believes that his mother was lucky enough to escape this disaster due to several “coincidences.” He explained: “Because she woke up early the next day, she didn’t take sleeping pills before going to bed, because she was afraid that she would oversleep; if it wasn’t for the open door…if it wasn’t for the gust of wind…if she didn’t see the crack …She won’t tell this story here.”
Montegudo said that now, she herself is very safe, but she shed tears for the neighbors who disappeared in the collapse of the building. She just moved into this apartment building six months ago. Prior to this, she had lived in Miami for 40 years. At that time she told a friend that one day she would live in the South Tower of Champlain.
Hundreds of rescuers, including some from overseas, carried out rescue operations under severe weather conditions. They are digging in the dangerous rubble mountain day and night, and some people still hope to find survivors.
Colonel Golan Vach, the commander of the National Rescue Force from Israel, said that when the building collapsed, many residents were sleeping, and the staff had been trying to find buried 13 feet to 16 feet (approximately 4 meters— 4.9m) concrete pile below the bedroom.
He said: “It’s almost like the World Trade Center back then.” Rain and thunderstorms also brought greater challenges to search and rescue work.
The Israeli military used aerial photography and satellite data to draw detailed 3D maps of the collapsed building and surrounding disaster areas to help find the victims under the rubble.
Editor in charge: Lin Yan#
.