Caribbean community left grieving after deadly New York building collapse

NEW YORK, United States (CMC) — The Caribbean community in New York continues to grieve over the deadly collapse of a building in Brooklyn on Wednesday that left several people dead, including a national from Trinidad and Tobago.

Alongside the Trinidad and Tobago national, victims included immigrants and families from Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador

A three-story residential building collapsed into an adjacent construction and excavation site, tearing off the exterior wall of a neighbouring building and prompting a mass emergency response.

Officials say eight people, including two children, were killed in the collapse of the building in an area of Flatbush known as “Little Haiti” because of the heavy concentration of Haitian immigrants.

Rescue workers say they have all but ended their search in the rubble for victims, determining that no more victims were to be found.

“Our Flatbush family is grieving a staggering tragedy, a building collapse that at this hour has claimed the lives of at least eight of our neighbours, including two children,” New York State Assembly Member, Monique Chandler-Waterman, the daughter of Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

“We mourn their losses, and we pray for the many injured. This site is just blocks from where I have close family. They experienced noise and chaos in the initial minutes and hours reminiscent to them of 9/11,” Chandler-Waterman, the representative for the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn, referring to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.

“Last night, I stood united with my colleagues who represent the area. I personally witnessed the difficult search-and-rescue operation still underway, made even more difficult by hazardous weather.”

Chandler-Waterman said her office is working in partnership with local leaders to coordinate “a community relief response, which must include culturally-competent mental health services for our neighbours.

“It is of utmost importance that we ensure every building in the immediate vicinity is secured, and that there is a complete, thorough and transparent investigation into what happened. It is moments like this where we must show love and solidarity for our greater Flatbush community,” Chandler-Waterman added.

The Haitian-born district leader for the 42nd Assembly District that encompasses the area where the building collapsed, Josue Pierre, said his “heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones and everyone whose lives have been changed by this disaster.

“As the search and rescue operation concludes, our attention must turn to supporting the grieving families, helping displaced residents, ensuring the safety of neighbouring buildings, and determining exactly what went wrong,” he said, adding, “our responsibility does not end when the emergency vehicles leave.

“The families affected deserve sustained support, and Flatbush deserves a full, transparent investigation and accountability for any failures that contributed to this tragedy.”

New York City Council Member Farah Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, who represents the area in the City Council, has called on the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) and “all relevant municipal oversight agencies to conduct an immediate, thorough, and transparent investigation into the structural failure and the building’s compliance history.

“Our Flatbush community is grieving an unimaginable tragedy,” said the representative for the 45th Council District. “Lives were lost, neighbours were injured, and families have been shaken to their core.

“A building does not simply collapse in the middle of a residential neighbourhood without warning signs or systemic failures. I am demanding a full investigation of 2625 Bedford Avenue’s structural inspection records, active permits, open violations, and landlord maintenance history.

“If negligence or ignored safety complaints contributed to this fatal collapse, where children, pregnant women, and elderly New Yorkers were put in harm’s way, those responsible must be held fully accountable under the law,” Louis said.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, expressed concern that adjacent construction may have contributed to the building’s collapse.

“I’m angry at the things that I’m hearing about why this might have happened. I’m trying my best not to speak out of turn until we get information.

“But learning that this building fell the way it fell, not straight down, on an angle, might indicate that it wasn’t supported the way it was supposed to,” Williams added.

New York State Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who represents the area where the building collapsed, also said her “heart goes out to the families of the children and workers killed or injured in this tragic collapse in my district, across from my office and around the corner from where I live.

“We will continue to support impacted residents, seek answers to ensure our communities remain safe and informed as updates become available,” said the daughter of Haitian immigrants, who represents the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has asked New Yorkers to “please take a moment to pray for those who passed away” in the tragedy “and all of those who are mourning their loss, as well as for a fast and full recovery for all those who were injured”.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said “when people are in their homes feeling that they’re secure and safe with their families to have this horrific incident occur…it is horrific.

“But I want to assure you, city officials are leading the investigation.New Yorkers are stunned by what they’re seeing, but the investigators are already at work. And New Yorkers deserve to know how and why this happened. They’ll get to the bottom of it. And we will make sure that we support them in any way,” Hochil added.