New York City building collapse kills two people and injures 17 - The Independent

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Emergency workers sifted through the rubble of a three-story Brooklyn building that collapsed on Wednesday, leaving at least two people dead, 17 injured and many feared trapped under the fallen structure.

The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, a three-storey apartment in Brooklyn, New York City, had a store on the ground floor and apartments above. It fell into an open construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue.

First responders arrived at about 4 p.m. (9am GMT). Aerial news footage showed scores of firefighters searching the rubble, focusing on a specific spot and using a power saw to cut into the debris.

Two people were killed and 17 injured, Lillian Bonsignore, the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), told reporters. She said four of the injured were in a critical condition and 12 were stable, while one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Mayor Zohran Mamdani also confirmed the two deaths.

Overhead video footage captured rescuers extracting at least one victim from the rubble and transporting them away on a stretcher.

The structure stood adjacent to a lot where a single-story building had previously been demolished to make way for a construction project. Ongoing excavation work at the site left an open pit, which was filled with wood and bricks when the neighboring building caved in.

The massive search and rescue operations have been “extremely dangerous,” the New York City Fire Department commissioner said.

John Esposito, the FDNY’s chief of department, said construction workers were at work when the building fell. Ahmed Tigani, the commissioner of the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB), said the work under way was excavation.

Rescuers pulled a woman from the rubble more than two hours into the operation, as night fell. Crews used drones and, after several hours, search dogs. Officials warned that more victims could be found because it was unclear how many people were in the building.

An adjoining building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure stayed standing, though its outer partition was shorn off, revealing interior rooms, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.

An unmanned drone hovered above the scene while emergency responders cleared heavy rubble manually and deployed search dogs to locate survivors.

Crews continued working after nightfall, using handheld flashlights to light up their working area.

Phone and email messages seeking comment were left for the property owner, architect, and general contractor listed in official city records as associated with the construction project.