NEW ORLEANS — A family holding vigil outside the site of the Hard Rock hotel construction collapse received the news they hoped they’d never hear.
Anthony Magrette’s body was pulled from the rubble, according to his wife, Nova Magrette. She tells WWL-TV that she identified his body at the Orleans Parish Coroner’s office on Sunday night.
"He's going to be greatly missed. We're completely devastated by all of this," Nova said. "We still need prayers for the rest of the family because we're all taking this very hard."
Anthony wasn’t originally supposed to work Saturday when the Hard Rock Hotel collapsed. He was one of the construction workers on the project and is described as a very hard working man who did everything he could to provide for his family.
Nova says his body was found on the 7th floor. There is still one person missing.
“He’s not even supposed to be here today,” Magrette’s sister told Eyewitness News the night of the collapse. “My brother is the kind of person that would make sure everybody got out before him … He’s the glue that holds (this family) together.”
Magrette’s family waited outside the site of the collapse from the moment they found out about the tragedy until they found their loved one.
Several floors of the hotel toppled down Saturday amid blinding dust and flying debris. A WWL-TV viewer captured dramatic video of upper floors collapsing Saturday before one side of the building crashed to the street.
One person is still missing, believed to be trapped inside the Hard Rock Hotel after the building partially collapsed without warning Saturday morning.
Rescue efforts are still the focus. Engineers are evaluating the building and crews are assembling a 220,000-pound crane to try to stabilize the building, but rescue teams are unable to get to some areas due to fears of another collapse.
"We have someone we have not located and can't get to where we think they might be," New Orleans Fire Department Chief Tim McConnell said. "Our goal here is to continue making the scene safe so we can continue getting into this building deeper and deeper for rescue purposes."
Two people were killed in the collapse. Thirty people were injured. Only one remains in the hospital.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.