The City of New Orleans says they have removed the remains of the final victim killed in the Hard Rock Hotel collapse.
On Monday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced the removal by a recovery team of the remains of Jose Ponce Arreola, who was killed in the collapse last October.
"We are grateful to finally have some measure of closure for both families, who had to experience an intolerable delay. Late today, Chief Tim McConnell and I witnessed a private service honoring Jose’s remains in the presence of his family. It is a terrible relief to begin finally bringing this process to an end,” said Cantrell. "The safe and respectful removal of our people has been a top priority throughout, and I am grateful to God that this day has finally come. Moving forward, we will continue to hold ownership accountable, at every level. No one wanted it to be this way, but we are grateful to the recovery team for finally getting us to this point."
The recovery of the remains was completed shortly before 4:00 p.m. by the New Orleans Fire Department and Louisiana Task Force 1.
"I want to commend the vigilance and dedication of our team to complete this work with safety, respect and diligence as their guiding principles, and to assure the public we will continue to provide the necessary support moving forward," said NOFD Superintendent Tim McConnell.
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