Brooklyn building collapse: eight dead, investigation expands
New York City officials have identified the eight victims of the three-storey building collapse in Brooklyn and confirmed that the search for additional survivors is complete, while a criminal probe is underway.
New York City police and fire departments announced that the search for survivors in the collapsed three-storey residential building in Brooklyn has ended, having identified eight people who died. The victims were named as Barry Mamadou, 23; Ndiaye Mamadou, 31, his cousin; José Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26; Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10; Nicole Daniela Salvala Rodriguez, nine, his cousin; Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31; Edgar Sapon, 26; and Gabriel Siguencia, 22.
A further 18 individuals were injured, with one remaining in critical condition as of Friday morning. The collapse, which occurred on a residential street on Wednesday, also left several victims undocumented, complicating their families' circumstances.
Officials said that despite adverse weather on Thursday, including a thunderstorm and heavy rain, they determined late that day that no additional people could be rescued from the rubble.
"Cosquillo was the first named by police and had one child with his wife, who is pregnant," the Ecuadorian consulate said, adding it would assist with the transfer of his body to Ecuador.
City authorities have noted visible cracks and a poor condition of the building reported to the Department of Buildings prior to the collapse. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office, together with the Department of Buildings, has opened a criminal investigation into the incident. Several bus routes and nearby streets remain closed as the inquiry continues.