Eight people have died after a three-story building collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday morning. Crews have recovered all eight bodies from the rubble.
The FDNY first reported two deaths after the collapse in the Flatbush neighborhood, but the toll rose as rescue workers continued searching.
At least 17 people were injured, including three firefighters. Four of the injured were taken to hospitals in critical condition; the others suffered minor or non-life-threatening injuries. More than 250 fire and emergency medical personnel remain at the scene.
“I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives,” Mamdani said in a social media post. He offered condolences to the victims’ families and to those injured, and thanked first responders working at the site.
The FDNY received a 911 call about the collapse at 1321 Flatbush Avenue at 4:01 p.m. Wednesday, Mamdani said at an evening news conference. Firefighters arrived within a minute and began searching for anyone who might be trapped.
Rescue teams are using drones to inspect the wreckage from above and vacuum trucks to remove debris as safely as possible. The search is ongoing.
Officials have not determined what caused the building to fall. The city Department of Buildings has opened an investigation, with inspectors and engineers at the scene.
The building had a store on the ground floor and apartments above. It collapsed into an adjacent construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where developers had permits for excavation and foundation work on a planned three-story building.
In March, the Department of Buildings ordered work to stop after inspectors found that the existing structure at the site had been demolished without enough protection for neighboring properties, including 1321 Flatbush Avenue.
More than a month later, investigators found that demolition had continued despite the order. City records show the contractor was fined $10,000. The stop-work order was lifted in May after the developers addressed the violations, according to the department.
Following Wednesday’s collapse, the department again ordered all work at 2625 Bedford Avenue to stop.
