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Body pulled from Fla. garage collapse rubble

A body pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed parking garage in Jacksonville, Fla., has been identified as a 26-year-old construction worker.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A body pulled from the rubble of a partially collapsed parking garage has been identified as a 26-year-old construction worker.

The body of Willie “L.B” Edwards III was found early Saturday, two days after the garage that had been under construction collapsed in downtown Jacksonville. The body was removed Saturday afternoon and identified shortly after that.

Fire Operations Chief Brady Rigdon said Edwards had been trapped beneath both crumbled concrete and wet concrete that had dried around him.

Edwards’ brother, Reginald Edwards, said Willie Edwards was filling in for another worker to earn extra money to pay off toys he had put on layaway for his two children.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will begin its investigation into the collapse on Monday.

The garage collapsed while workers were pouring concrete on the garage’s sixth floor. The front half fell, leaving the skeleton of the back half standing.

Crews rescued 23 workers who were taken to various hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

Officials said they did not know what caused the collapse.