Two Montreal friends identified as dead and missing after Miami condo collapse
Anastasia Gromova and Michelle Pazos thought a little Miami vacation would be the perfect chance to spend time together before Gromova left Montreal for an exciting opportunity abroad.
Now Pazos and her father have been declared dead, and Gromova's family is desperately searching for answers after the condo building where the three were staying collapsed last month, killing at least 97 people.
Gromova's father, Sergiy Gromov, said his 24-year-old daughter and Pazos were close friends who lived in Montreal. They had decided to spend some time at the Surfside, Fla., condo belonging to Pazos's father before Gromova left for a job teaching English in Japan.
"It was the last opportunity to be together, to spend some time together, to enjoy it," he said in a phone interview Tuesday.
Miami-Dade police have confirmed they pulled Pazos's body from the rubble of the collapsed Champlain Towers South building on July 9, and they have said the body of 55-year-old Miguel Pazos was found a day earlier. Local authorities say at least 97 people died from the June 24 collapse, and as of Monday, 95 of those victims had been identified.
Gromova's family flew to Florida from Toronto after the collapse, and they are among the last families waiting for answers. Gromov said the wait is excruciating. "They ask questions, but they don't give any answers and the answers are not straight answers, so we feel now that it's been a lot of time and we don't have any answers yet and it's just the waiting is becoming unbearable," he said.
Gromov describes his daughter Anastasia as a "smart and strong" young woman who worked at an advertising agency in Montreal but was looking forward to other adventures. When she visited Toronto she rarely sat still and was always planning activities for the family, he said.
"She knew what she wanted in life," Gromov said. "She always had a plan -- and not just a Plan A but a Plan B, C, D and so on."
He said the family has booked flights home to Canada in about a week but they are having a hard time imagining leaving without their daughter. A part of him hopes for a "miracle" -- that somehow she hadn't been inside at all -- but he's also realistic, and at the very least, wants her identity confirmed.
Accenture, a multinational consulting company with a Montreal office, confirmed in a statement that Pazos had been an employee. "We grieve deeply for the loss of Michelle and her father and our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy," the company said in an email. A LinkedIn profile associated with the name Michelle Pazos indicates she studied marketing management at McGill University before going on to work in Accenture's Montreal's office.
Global Affairs Canada confirmed the remains of three Canadians have been found at the building collapse site, and that one person remains unaccounted for. It did not name the deceased but said it was providing consular assistance to the families.
Miami-Dade officials previously identified the first Canadian whose remains were found as 66-year-old Ingrid "Itty" Ainsworth, formerly of Montreal. She and her Australian husband, Tzvi, had briefly lived in Canada before moving to Australia and, eventually, Florida. The couple had seven children and were celebrating the birth of two grandchildren, their niece Chana Harrel has said.
With files from The Associated Press.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL has suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.