At least two people were killed and 17 others injured, including seven children, after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, with additional victims feared trapped beneath the rubble.
The three-story residential building came down onto an open construction site at about 4pm on Wednesday along Bedford Avenue in Flatbush.
Several people, including construction workers at the site, were trapped when the structure suddenly collapsed, according to the FDNY.
At least two victims were pronounced dead, while approximately 10 others were taken to hospitals with critical and non-life-threatening injuries, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a press conference.
‘This has been an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation,’ Mamdani said, describing the collapse as ‘devastating.’
Officials said 17 people were injured, including seven children and one firefighter.
The full number of injured victims remained unclear, and investigators had not determined what caused the collapse, FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said.
More than 250 fire and EMS personnel rushed to the scene. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore warned that rescue work at a collapse site is highly dangerous.
‘Every move is choreographed and critically important to patient outcomes and member safety,’ she said Wednesday night, adding that crews ‘have been working methodically and haven’t stopped since they arrived this afternoon.’
The structure began collapsing at about 4pm on Wednesday along Bedford Avenue in Flatbush
Victims were rescued from the rubble and taken away from the scene on stretchers
An NYPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail that five people had been removed from the rubble and taken to Kings County Hospital
One person remained trapped beneath the debris but was communicating with first responders after the collapse. He was brought out on a stretcher at around 4.45pm.
Two more people were pulled from the rubble shortly after 6.30pm, NBC 4 reported.
Video from the scene showed firefighters carrying victims from the debris and placing them on stretchers. Other images showed clothing hanging inside rooms exposed by the collapse.
Firefighters searched through the debris by hand while rescue dogs worked alongside them to look for survivors.
‘It’s devastating. It’s absolutely devastating,’ a resident named Bria told NewsNation.
‘I mean, this community is very close-knit, it’s very tight… I’m at a loss for words.’
She told reporter Marcus Espinoza that she also lives in an older building, adding that ‘this could have happened to any of us.’
A construction worker embraces a child at the scene of the partial building collapse
The New York City Department of Buildings said inspectors were at the scene ‘assisting with recovery operations and conducting structural stability inspections of nearby buildings’
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‘You just hope that people are taking care of their properties, and everything is staying up to code so stuff like this doesn’t happen,’ Bria said.
‘We just want safety in our homes.’
The collapsed building was constructed in the 1930s.
The mixed-use structure had apartments above a business on the ground floor. Officials urged people to avoid the area, warning of road closures and traffic delays.
The New York City Department of Buildings said its inspectors were at the scene ‘assisting with recovery operations and conducting structural stability inspections of nearby buildings.’
The building stood at the edge of a lot where a separate one-story structure had been demolished for a construction project, The Associated Press reported.
A person is taken away on a stretcher after the building collapsed
Firefighters respond to the building collapse in the Flatbush neighborhood
Excavation work had been underway at the site before the collapse, and the fallen building filled the construction area with bricks and wood, according to the report.
A neighboring building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, although parts of its walls were ripped away. The damage exposed rooms, including a bedroom and closets containing clothing.
Anderson Velez, who lived in the collapsed building, told the New York Post that he was at work when his wife called to say their two children, aged 7 and 2, were trapped beneath the rubble.
‘She called me when the building collapsed while she was inside with rubble on top of her. She was screaming for someone to help get my son out and then the call cut off,’ he told the outlet.
Velez said he later learned that his wife and children had been rescued and were alive.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani addresses the devastating building collapse on Wednesday night
Emergency crews continued searching into the night after the building collapse
Mamdani said earlier on X that his office would release information ‘as soon as we can confirm it.’
‘As emergency operations continue, please join me in holding our neighbors and the members of this community in our hearts,’ he wrote.
Governor Kathy Hochul said: ‘My heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today’s building collapse in Brooklyn. I’m keeping them in my thoughts and praying for everyone affected.’
‘My administration has reached out and offered its full support as authorities investigate what happened,’ she added.
This is breaking news – Updates to follow.