Two Dead and More Than 17 Injured in Brooklyn Building Collapse, Officials Say

At least two people have died and more than 17 others were injured after a building in New York City collapsed into an open construction site, officials said.

The collapse prompted a large search-and-rescue operation, with more than 250 first responders at the scene in Brooklyn trying to find survivors who may have been trapped under the rubble of the three-story building.

Hours later, aerial video showed firefighters pulling a survivor covered in dust from the debris onto a stretcher.

Authorities were still investigating what caused the sudden collapse, which happened at about 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

The rescue mission was described as “extremely dangerous” by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.

She added that people from the collapsed building and also the construction site had been trapped.

“Members have been working methodically and haven’t stopped since they arrived this afternoon,” Bonsignore said.

Photos of the collapsed building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn showed that an entire side of it was gone, with bedrooms and closets exposed. Among the debris, including smashed concrete and twisted metal, were household items and clothes.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined emergency responders at the scene, praising them for their rapid response.

He later wrote on X: “They arrived in under a minute and have spent hours working in dangerous and highly technical conditions to rescue New Yorkers.”

The Brooklyn building was built in 1930, according to city records cited by the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Source link