Miami mourners remember tight-knit family at first funeral for victims of condo collapse

Standing at the lectern next to three caskets -- one for each of the adults and one holding both children -- a relative said the disaster had revealed the interconnectedness of the oceanfront community near Miami Beach. "Who would have thought a few weeks ago that our community had so many ties to one little building in one small corner of Florida called Surfside," said Marcus Guara's cousin, Peter Milián.

A few hundred mourners filled a Miami Beach church on Tuesday to memorialize two young girls and their parents in the first funeral for victims of the condominium building collapse nearly two weeks ago. In a service at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Marcus Guara, 52, his wife Ana Guara, 42, and their daughters, Lucia, 10, and Emma, 4, were remembered as a tight-knit family who enjoyed walking on the beach and doing other simple things together.

The family perished when half of the 12-story Champlain Towers South building in Surfside, Florida collapsed in the early hours of June 24, leaving at least 32 dead and 113 still missing as rescue workers continued sifting through the rubble. Standing at the lectern next to three caskets -- one for each of the adults and one holding both children -- a relative said the disaster had revealed the interconnectedness of the oceanfront community near Miami Beach.

"Who would have thought a few weeks ago that our community had so many ties to one little building in one small corner of Florida called Surfside," said Marcus Guara's cousin, Peter Milián. Marcus Guara had just started a new job in November as a sales manager for a maker of towels and linens and often raised funds for charities, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, according to his Facebook account.

His cousin, a graduate of the University of Miami and die-hard fan of its Hurricanes sports teams, was a doting father, Milián said. He saw a silver lining in the family dying together. "As ironic as it may sound I truly believe God watched over them by not making them suffer without Lucia and Emma," he said. "I remind myself of that when I know that right now, there are mothers and fathers dealing with the unimaginable loss of their families and loved ones."

After the service, the pallbearers rolled the caskets into three black Cadillac hearses for burial at a cemetery. Some family members watched under umbrellas as heavy rain from approaching Tropical Storm Elsa blanketed the area. Forecasters predicted Surfside and the surrounding region would be spared the worst of the storm. Still, concerns over the impact of Elsa prompted officials to order the demolition of the half of building that had been left standing, which was carried out on Sunday night.

Earlier on Tuesday officials increased the confirmed death toll by four people to 32 and said heavy winds had made emergency workers' task more difficult. They warned the prospect of finding survivors was increasingly remote. Miami-Dade County Fire Chief Alan Cominsky said rescuers have not found any "livable spaces." He said workers had removed more than 124 tons, or 5 million pounds, of debris to date.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the collapse, although a 2018 engineering report found structural deficiencies that are now the focus of inquiries that include a grand jury examination. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava cautioned that it could take some time to find the root cause.

"The whole world wants to know what happened here," Cava told the briefing. "I look forward to learning the truth."