‘We work like slaves in this country and they don’t give us safety’: anger and grief after Brooklyn building collapse

A Brooklyn residential building collapsed on Wednesday while excavation work was under way at a neighbouring construction site, killing eight people and injuring 18. The deaths have heightened fear and anger in the largely immigrant neighbourhood, and brought construction safety and oversight under scrutiny.

Two of those killed were construction workers, including 26-year-old Ecuadorian José Luis Caguana, who had taken safety training from OSHA instructor Walter Sinche. The building fell into a hole created by nearby work, but investigators have yet to establish the cause or whether warnings were issued; residents and Sinche say responsibility may extend to the developers, supervisors and city authorities.