Eight Dead as Brooklyn Building Collapse Tragedy Devastates Immigrant Workers and Families
Reported by nytimes.com ·
Lives Intersected in Brooklyn
Immigrants had arrived in New York after long journeys from Latin America and West Africa. Some found work at a Brooklyn construction site, while others made their homes in the apartment building beside it.
The building contained four apartments. Its residents included immigrants from Guinea, among them an Amazon worker and a food delivery driver, as well as families from Colombia.
Eight People Were Killed
Many of the 18 people who were injured were also born abroad. The incident abruptly changed the lives of residents and workers connected to the site.
Families Had Recently Moved
One Colombian family of four had recently moved into the building after saving enough money to leave a migrant shelter. Brenda Vasquez, 25, lost her husband, Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26, in the collapse.
Key points
- An apartment building fell onto a Brooklyn construction site.
- Eight people died, including three construction workers and two children from Colombia.
- All eight people who died were born outside the United States.
- Many of the 18 injured people were also born abroad.