At Least 8 Dead After Three-Story Building Falls in Brooklyn
The death toll has risen to at least eight after a mixed-use three-story building collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon. Here is the latest news as search and rescue crews continue to comb through the rubble.
Search for Victims in Brooklyn Building Collapse Expected to Last for Days
At least eight people have died following a building collapse in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday morning. Six were found dead at the scene, and two died at the hospital. Officials said that at least 17 people were injured, including four who are in critical condition. Three firefighters were among those hurt.
Seven of the victims were children, according to FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. Officials have not yet released the ages or identities of those who died. There may have been more children at home than usual because schools were closed for the Veterans Day holiday.
Officials still don’t know how many people were inside when the building collapsed, and the FDNY warned that the death toll could rise. The FDNY is working with the NYPD on missing-person reports. This uncertainty has amplified the urgency to sift through what is left of the building, located at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in the central Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush.
The collapse happened at about 4 pm local time, when the building fell into an open construction site next door. Video footage from the scene showed rescue crews pulling people from the debris, putting them on stretchers, and carrying them from the unstable site.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday. Speaking at the scene Wednesday night, he warned of the dangers facing rescuers. "This has been an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation, with precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface," Mamdani said.
New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) confirmed that several individuals from both the collapsed building and an adjacent construction site were trapped. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said that the search for victims will continue for "several days." Esposito added that “This is an extremely dangerous operation for all of our people. It’s a very unstable situation,” Esposito said, explaining that the adjoining building that remains “partially intact is always a danger.”
Hundreds of firefighters searched overnight using dogs, drones and power saws, and crews were still searching the rubble Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the Red Cross registered 11 adults and two children from six households for emergency help, including temporary lodging, at a reception center at the Flatbush YMCA.
Timeline of the Collapse
First responders pulled the first victim from the rubble roughly 45 minutes after the collapse. Crews had to perform the first extractions by hand. Approximately 250 fire department and EMS personnel were on the scene by about 7 pm, forming lines to remove the debris. Power tools are now helping the extraction effort.
Mamdani held a news conference at the site at about 8:15 pm, a little over four hours after the collapse. The mayor praised the first responders, saying that they “are working quickly to secure the location and assist New Yorkers.” He went on to say that “This has been an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation, with precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface."
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the collapse. Mamdani said that the New York City Department of Buildings and law enforcement would work together on the investigation. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani noted that the construction crew was performing "excavation work" shortly before the collapse, raising concern that this may have triggered the incident. The developers of the construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue had an active permit for excavation and foundation work, and the city has issued a full stop-work order. Records show work at the site began in September and included rock blasting, according to NBC New York.
Wednesday's collapse comes on the heels of another concerning incident earlier in the year in nearby Manhattan. The buildings commission is investigating the buckling of columns at the former Pfizer headquarters in July. This concern forced the temporary evacuation of workers and neighboring buildings.
The building was being transitioned from the business headquarters to apartments when the buckling occurred. City officials established a "collapse zone" around the columns, despite the developer reporting that the building has been stabilized.
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