{O/C} One year on, and Surfside remembers.
That was the sobering scene at a ceremony in Surfside, Florida, where a 12-storey oceanfront condominium came tumbling down on June 24 last year, killing 98 residents.
{RVO}
The names of the 98 victims were read aloud during a sombre ceremony mourning the 1st anniversary of one of America's deadliest building collapses in years.
First Lady Jill Biden as well as Governor Ron DeSantis were among the well-wishers.
Only two teenagers and a woman escaped from the wreckage while some fortunate residents fled from the remnants that initially remained unaffected.
At about 1:25 a.m., a private torch-lighting was held to mark the exact moment when the condominium suffered a ruinous implosion.
The ceremony followed a state judge's order that more than 1 billion US dollars be paid in compensation to the victims' families and survivors for the construction company's negligence.
The implosion triggered the most gargantuan non-hurricane rescue effort ever in Florida's history as rescuers from every nook and cranny of the nation and as far as Israel came to lend a helping hand.
The rescuers were honoured yesterday for their unenviably trying work.
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