The identities of seven of the eight people killed in a New York City building collapse have been released.
Authorities said eight people died after a three-story structure in Flatbush, Brooklyn, collapsed Wednesday evening. Search and recovery operations remain ongoing.
The youngest victims were identified as nine-year-old Nicole Daniela Rodriguez and 10-year-old Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, according to The New York Times. The elementary school students were cousins.
The other victims were identified as Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Mamadu Barry, 23; Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26; José Luis Caguana, 26; and Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31.
An unidentified 35-year-old man was also killed, the outlet reported.
Another 18 people were injured, including one person who remains in critical condition, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. Four firefighters were among those hurt.
Mamdani also said two of the six adults at the site were construction workers when the building gave way.
Caguana was identified Thursday morning after his brother, Carlos, told Univision that he worked in construction and had moved to the United States from Ecuador six years ago.
Seven of the eight people killed in the Brooklyn collapse have been identified: Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, nine; Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10; Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Mamadu Barry, 23; Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26; José Luis Caguana (pictured), 26; and Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31
Alvaro Miguel Caizaguano Toasa (pictured), 29, was working at the construction site when the collapse occurred. His family said he remains hospitalized and is “not doing well”
Eighteen people were injured, including one person in critical condition, Mayor Mamdani said. Four firefighters were among those hurt
Caguana was a devoted husband and father who left behind his wife, their four-year-old son and an unborn child expected to arrive soon, according to a GoFundMe page.
“Now that he’s gone, she is going through an immense amount of pain. She is in a very bad state right now — she’s completely overwhelmed and can’t even find the words to speak,” Carlos said of his widowed sister-in-law.
Carlos later told WNBC-TV that Caguana’s wife was “completely overwhelmed” and unable to find words after learning of her husband’s sudden death.
“Her husband has passed away; he was the sole provider for the family. Now that he’s gone, she is going through an immense amount of pain. She is in a very bad state right now,” Carlos told the station.
Ecuador’s consulate in New York City also confirmed Caguana’s death.
Siguencia was also from Ecuador, according to the outlet. Ecuador’s consul general, Gicela Andrade, said Caguana’s remains would be returned to Ecuador for burial.
Andrade also accompanied Siguencia’s mother, Leanor Yupa, when she met with detectives Thursday afternoon, the outlet reported.
“We express our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, and we stand with them in profound solidarity in these moments of grief,” the consulate said on social media, adding that it remained in contact with his relatives.
Little is known about the remaining victims, though Mamdani said those killed came from several countries, including Mexico, Trinidad, Ecuador and Colombia
Gutierrez’s family described the heartbreaking way they learned he had died in the collapse.
Relatives searched for him throughout the night and even checked the morgue, Marisela Vasquez, whose niece is married to Gutierrez, told the NYT.
When they returned to the collapse site, they received the devastating news.
“Unfortunately, they told us that he had died,” Vasquez said.
Gutierrez also left behind a six-year-old son.
The other victims have not been widely identified. Mamdani said they were from a range of countries, including Mexico, Trinidad, Ecuador and Colombia.
The family of one injured worker has also spoken about the aftermath.
Alvaro Miguel Caizaguano Toasa, 29, was working at the construction site when the collapse occurred. He had been employed there for eight months, his family told ABC 7.
His relatives said he has been vomiting blood and is “not doing well” while receiving treatment at Kings County Hospital.
Toasa supports a three-year-old and a seven-year-old and is the primary provider for his household. His wife is also ill and unable to work.
“I thought of my sister because my sister has two kids and my sister is sick. She can’t work. He was the head of the household,” a female relative said.
“The construction site was not safe. That’s why this tragedy took place. The contractor had a lot to do — a lot to fix. These kinds of accidents shouldn’t happen in this country. So many families are heartbroken.”
The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. However, the NYC Buildings Department had previously determined that the structure was “in poor condition and riddled with cracks,” the NYT reported Thursday.
The outlet also reported that LMW Engineering Group, based in Linden, New Jersey, was the company behind the engineer of record for the building’s foundation work.
The firm’s office was nearly empty Thursday, and its owner and managing partner, Jieming Wang, was not present, according to the report.
Wang has worked at the company for more than 28 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The Daily Mail contacted LMW Engineering Group for comment.