A father whose wife was days away from giving birth is among the eight people killed when a 1930-era walk-up building crumbled at the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn at about 4 p.m. on Wednesday. According to his heartbroken brother, Carlos, the victim, Jose Luis Caguana, 26, was an Ecuadorian migrant and construction worker who moved to the United States six years ago and was the sole provider for his family.

Carlos told Univision that Caguana leaves behind his pregnant wife, who is expected to give birth very soon, and another young child. He described her as overwhelmed and in a very bad state. Caguana also played soccer for the New York-based Club La Bahia NY, whose president paid tribute to him, calling him a unique player and a beloved neighbor and friend.S2

Rescuers combed through the rubble on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning searching for survivors. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed on Thursday that eight New Yorkers had died and at least 19 were injured, including three firefighters. Among those pulled from the rubble was a pregnant woman who was found alive about two and a half hours after the collapse.S2

Rescuers faced a race against the clock as a storm was forecast to arrive at noon, with former fire commissioner Laura Kavanagh warning that rain could flood the voids still being searched and destabilize the ground. The cause of the collapse remains unclear, but the New York City Department of Buildings has launched a full investigation, with Commissioner Ahmed Tigani saying authorities would examine the building and the neighboring construction site.S2