First of eight killed in New York City building collapse identified - The Independent
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A young dad is the first identified victim of a New York City building collapse that left two children and six adults dead.
José Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26, was one of the victims, friends told the New York Daily News. The migrant from Ecuador is survived by a 4-year-old son and a pregnant wife.
“She’s heading to the hospital tomorrow for the baby to be born,” the president of the Club Deportivo La Bahía soccer team where Jose was a member, told the outlet.
The three-story building collapsed into an open construction site along Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Six people were dead at the scene and two more died at the hospital, officials said Thursday. Another 18 people, including 14 civilians and four firefighters, were injured.
Crews continue to search the scene for survivors as officials now work to determine what caused the collapse.
“This has been a devastating evening and morning for our city,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday.
Mamdani said at a press conference that the investigation will not only try to determine why the building collapsed, but also examine other sites operated by the same construction companies.
The names of the other victims have not been released.
The building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. housed both retail and apartment space. It’s unclear how many people in total lived at the site. The property was next to a construction site at the intersection with Bedford Avenue.
Inspectors had discovered violations at the site months before the collapse, according to the New York Post. A stop-work order was issued in March, and the Department of Buildings concluded that the building was being demolished without overhead protection, such as netting, to protect nearby buildings. In April, demolition work had resumed despite the stop-work order.
Work was eventually allowed to continue in May.
The site is owned by a company linked to Robert Fischman, who wanted to build a 56,000-square-foot building there, according to WNBC.
As rescue efforts continued on a rainy Thursday, some were praising the saving of one pregnant woman from the wreckage. Video captured dozens of firefighters lifting her out of the rubble and passing her along their line so she could be taken for care.
Speaking to CBS News, a man revealed that his wife, who is six months pregnant, was among those rescued. However, for some time, he did not know if she was alive or dead.
“This is tough, man. He's looking for his pregnant wife, and she's not picking up the phone,” Jumaane Williams, a New York City public advocate, told the outlet amid the search.
By 6.30 p.m., the news that his wife was alive was relayed to the as-yet-unnamed man, ABC7 reports.
“I have an update. She is alive, she is still alive. I am very happy,” the man said.
City Councilwoman Farah Louis told the outlet that the woman, who had been taken to receive medical care, remained in critical condition as of Wednesday night.
Anderson Velez, who lived at the collapsed building, told The New York Post that his two children, aged 2 and 7, were rescued after being trapped under the rubble. He was at work at the time.
“She called me when the building collapsed while she was inside with rubble on top of her,” Velez said, referring to his wife. “She was screaming for someone to help get my son out and then the call cut off.”
