The Nation - News from July 10, 1988

Rescue workers removed what they believe is the last victim from the wreckage of a collapsed department store in Brownsville, Tex., and said that the death toll was 14, not 16 as feared earlier. “There is no need to check again. We have checked, double-checked, triple-checked and quadruple-checked. There are no more bodies in there,” said Walter Plitt, head of a heavy equipment company that supplied machinery for the rescue effort. Workers had cleared about 90% of the debris from Thursday’s collapse, and the foundation of most of the building was visible. Meanwhile, Kermit Cromack, tax assessor-collector for Cameron County, said that clogged drainage holes on the building’s flat roof could have contributed to the collapse by allowing rainwater to accumulate and overload the building. Mayor Ygnacio Garza said the city and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration were conducting investigations.