Eight dead as crews search Brooklyn building collapse

Rescuers searched through rubble in Brooklyn on Thursday after a three-story building collapsed beside a construction site, killing at least eight people and injuring 17 others.

The building on Flatbush Avenue fell into an excavation pit shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday, tearing away the side of an adjoining building and exposing rooms inside. Six people were found dead at the scene and two died at a hospital, according to the New York City Fire Department. Three firefighters were among the injured.

Crews worked through the night under floodlights, using drones and dogs to search the wreckage. An excavator was brought in early Thursday to move larger pieces of debris. About 250 FDNY responders worked at the site, The Guardian reported, and the department said it remained hopeful of finding survivors.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the collapse devastating and praised first responders for carrying out a dangerous rescue operation. “Rescue workers have spent the night searching the site of yesterday’s building collapse, working under extremely dangerous conditions to find and save anyone who may still be trapped,” he wrote Thursday. “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude.” He urged the public to stay away from the site.

The Guardian reported that four people were critically injured and at least seven children were among the victims. It was not clear whether any of those killed were minors. Video from Wednesday night showed crews carrying people away on stretchers. One person covered in dust was pulled from the debris around 6:30 p.m. after rescuers dug through it.

A six-months-pregnant woman was also rescued, according to WABC, as reported by The Guardian. Her husband, who had been looking for her, told the station: “I have an update. She is alive, she is still alive. I am very happy.”

The collapsed building was occupied by residents, while workers were excavating the neighboring site, CBS News reported. Property records show it contained four residential units and one commercial unit, according to The Guardian. A one-story building on the adjoining lot had been demolished for the project. Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but part of its wall was torn away.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation. CBS News reported that developers had active permits for excavation and foundation work, though it was unclear how much work had been completed. Officials plan to review conditions at both the collapsed building and the construction site. A full stop-work order has been issued as recovery operations continue.

The Guardian, citing local news channel NY1, reported that the city’s buildings department recorded several problems at the neighboring project in May, including work conducted under a stop-work order, inadequate overhead protection for neighboring properties and work that did not follow approved drawings. NY1 also reported that the collapsed building had accumulated almost 100 housing violations dating to 1972.

Some people displaced by the collapse took shelter at a church across from the site, The Guardian reported. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said Wednesday evening that the rescue operation was far from over: “We know that we are not finished here, and we will likely not be finished for quite some time.”