An Australian couple are among the 28 whose bodies were pulled from rubble after a 12-storey apartment building collapsed in Surfside, Miami.Tzvi and Ingrid Ainsworth were found after the Champlain Towers South building collapsed on June 24.
They were members of the Chabad of the North Shore in Sydney prior to moving to the US, and had seven children.
The Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed their bodies were recovered from the wreckage on Monday.
“We have identified two additional victims that sadly and unexpectedly lost their lives in the tragic Surfside building collapse,” the department said on social media.
“Please keep their families and loved ones in your prayers.”
Nobody has been pulled from the wreckage alive since the early hours of the tragedy. The death toll has now reached 28 and there are still 117 people missing.
A mass search and rescue operation has continued for the past 12 days, with some pauses due to bad weather.
After half of the building collapsed, crews were initially kept away from the other half because it was deemed unstable and unsafe.
But, the remaining structure of the building has since been demolished, allowing rescuers to finally begin searching through fresh rubble and search previously inaccessible places.
Investigators are yet to determine what caused the collapse.
According to 7 News, Mr Ainsworth 68, and Mrs Ainsworth, 66, moved to Surfside about four years ago after spending more than 20 years in Australia.
NBC reported they were celebrating the birth of their new grandchild just one day before the horrific incident.
Some of their seven children also lived in the area, while Mrs Ainsworth’s mother lived in Miami Beach.
The sad news about the Australian couple was shared on social media on Tuesday.
“It is with immense sadness this morning that we report Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth, a beloved couple who lived in Australia for nearly 20 years, are among the people confirmed killed in the Florida building collapse disaster,” the Australian Jewish News posted.
“The AJN’s thoughts and prayers are with their family at this time.
“Baruch dayan ha‘emet.”
Dozens of people have since commented on the post, passing on their condolences and well wishes to the family.
“Sincere condolences to the family. Sixty years on I still remember my primary school days with Tzvi (Harry) back at Moriah College in Sydney,” one person wrote.
“Very sad. What a tragic disaster. Long Life to the family,” another commented.
Mrs Ainsworth, whose nickname is Itty, has been described as a person with “tremendous passion” and a sense of wonder “the same as a four-year-old”.
Her daughter Chana Wasserman wrote a heartwarming Mother’s Day post about the woman, who also suffered from Fibromyalgia.
“Everything in her life is amazing all the time. She surpasses the saying, ‘Seeing the world through rose colored glasses,” Mrs Wasserman wrote.
“My mother sees the world through rainbow colored glasses with unicorns and dolphins diving in and out.
“Every person she encountered, ever in her life, became her friend. Everyone was treated as equals.”
Ms Wasserman at the time said her mother always loved intensely, laughed with tears, spoke with wisdom and stayed true to who she was.