At least eight people have died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site, New York City's mayor said Thursday. At least 17 people were injured, including three firefighters.
At least eight people have died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday, as firefighters kept digging through the rubble to find others who may be trapped beneath the wreckage.
The building came down Wednesday afternoon. At least 17 people have been injured, including three firefighters, Mamdani said. Two deaths were announced Wednesday and the others were confirmed Thursday.
Scores of firefighters and police officers wielding pickaxes and power saws clambered over the rubble pile overnight, punching holes through the ruins to pull dust-covered people from beneath piles of twisted wood and brick. Rescuers used dogs to sniff for survivors. Firefighters used orange buckets as they removed debris from the rubble piles trying to reach people who may be trapped.
About 250 firefighters were working the scene, Mamdani said. On Wednesday night, firefighters pulled a woman — still alive and moving — out of a hole they had dug into the rubble pile, hoisting her up on a stretcher and rushing to a waiting ambulance. Additional people were pulled from beneath the pile as the night went on.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the rescue teams were performing “dangerous and perilous” work. “Every move is choreographed,” she said.
The cause of the collapse was under investigation, but New York City’s buildings commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, noted that when the building fell, construction workers were excavating an empty lot next door for a new building.
Much of the rubble from the collapsed building — a mixed-use structure with apartments sitting atop ground-floor commercial space — wound up in a huge pile inside the construction pit. Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.
Heavy rain was forecast for the city on Thursday afternoon. It wasn’t immediately known how that would affect search efforts.
Phone and email messages seeking comment were left Wednesday with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as being associated with the construction project.
The collapse killed at least eight people and injured at least 17, including three firefighters. Seven of the casualties were children, authorities said, without specifying whether any were among the dead. Rescuers continued searching the rubble as heavy rain was forecast for Thursday afternoon.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
The day's checked news, by email
One short email a day with the top stories. Free, and you can unsubscribe in one click.
Or follow for the latest news:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.
WorldTrending
A driver in his forties died after a collision between two SUVs on Route 365 in Pont-Rouge, Quebec, shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday, according to the Sûreté du Québec.
The Trump administration says it returned more than $12 billion in revenue from Venezuelan oil sales since ousting Nicolás Maduro in January, according to a State Department report.
