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They Had Come From Afar to Build New Lives. Then, All Was Gone.
An apartment building in Brooklyn collapsed into an adjoining construction site, killing eight people and injuring 18. The dead included three construction workers and two Colombian children; all eight were born outside the United States. The disaster has drawn attention to the risks faced by immigrant workers and residents in a neighbourhood shaped by migration.
The victims and their families had come from Latin America and West Africa to work, raise children and find housing in New York. City records showed unresolved violations at the four-apartment building, including exposed wiring, missing smoke detectors and an inadequate water supply for its sprinkler system. Brooklyn prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into the collapse.
In short
- Eight people died and 18 were injured in the Brooklyn collapse.
- All eight who died were born outside the United States.
- Prosecutors are investigating as building safety concerns come into focus.
Explained simply
Brooklyn is one of New York’s five boroughs and has long been shaped by people who moved there from other countries. Many newcomers work in construction and other lower-paid jobs while trying to find affordable housing and build a life for their families.
The building was a small apartment block beside a construction site. City records had listed safety problems there, including exposed wires and missing smoke detectors. The people who died included residents and construction workers, among them children from Colombia.
The collapse has focused attention on the safety of housing and workplaces, and on the risks faced by immigrant communities. Prosecutors opened an investigation to establish how the building fell and whether anyone was responsible.