Patel family killed in Miami condo collapse mourned

THE bodies of a pregnant British woman and her husband were found last week, nearly two weeks after a condo collapse in Miami.

Miami-Dade Police confirmed the death of Bhavna Patel, a 36-year-old with dual UK-US nationality and her husband Vishal Patel, 42, as their bodies were found last Friday (9).

However, the couple’s oneyear-old daughter Aishani remains unaccounted for.

The Patels were among 150 people reported missing, following the collapse of a 12-storey oceanfront building in Surfside, near Miami Beach, on June 24.

Rescue teams continued to work round-the-clock with 61 people still missing and feared dead in the debris. But the toll could change as it remains unclear how many were in the Champlain Towers South building when it came down.

Bhavna was reportedly five months pregnant and in recent weeks had introduced Aishani to family members after the pandemic had kept them apart.

Her husband’s aunt Gita Patel was quoted as saying the family wanted to “keep the good memories with us”.

Umma Kannayan, a family friend of the Patels, earlier said they were a “very loving” family who were closely involved in their religious community. “Aishani was like the little baby of the temple,” she said. “It feels like you’ve lost a part of yourself.”

Emergency workers spent more than 14 days pulling apart the rubble of the Champlain Towers South condo building, though the rescuers recently announced that at this point there is “no chance of life.”

The condo collapsed in the middle of the night as residents slept inside.