USAupdated 18m ago2 min read
MapBrooklyn Flatbush Building Collapse Kills Two, Injures 17 as FDNY Searches
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A three-story mixed-use building collapsed in Flatbush, Brooklyn, killing two and injuring 17. The collapse occurred near an active construction site around 4 p.m.
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Brooklyn collapse, victims and response
A three-story building collapsed at the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn near the intersection of Bedford and Flatbush avenues at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to New York City officials.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said, "Multiple people from the building and a construction site were trapped," and she reported that two people died and 17 people were injured, including four in critical condition and seven children.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, "This was a devastating collapse," as firefighters conducted a "dangerous" search and rescue operation and warned there could be more victims.
The Department of Buildings said its inspectors were on scene assisting with recovery operations and conducting structural stability inspections of nearby buildings, while the cause of the collapse remained under investigation by the Department of Buildings and law enforcement.
The building at 1321 Flatbush Ave. fell into an open construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Ave., and officials said others may still be missing as crews used drones, buckets and vacuum trucks to search the rubble.
Officials, uncertainty, and search
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore told reporters at the scene, "We do not know how many people remain in the collapse area, and this will be a long operation," as rescue teams continued searching. The number of people who were in the building when the building collapsed was not immediately known, and officials also did not say how many workers were on the construction site at the time of the collapse. Firefighters were called to the scene in the borough’s Flatbush section at about 4pm, and officials did not know how many people remain in the collapse site.
NBC News said the FDNY noted the number of victims could increase because it was not known how many people were in the building when it collapsed or whether everyone had been accounted for. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said, "We do not know how many people were missing overall," as over 250 firefighters and first responders dug through rubble.
What happens next, and what’s at risk
The Department of Buildings said its inspectors were on site to assist in recovery operations and to conduct structural stability inspections of nearby buildings, as authorities warned that a second collapse remained a concern.
The cause of the collapse remained under investigation by the Department of Buildings and law enforcement, and the first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m. according to the FDNY.
John Esposito expected it would take rescue teams several days for the entire site to be "searched for all potential victims," and he added, "We do not know how many people are missing overall." The building collapsed into an adjacent construction site.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people to avoid the area so rescue crews could continue to work, while the NYC Department of Buildings continued structural checks of nearby buildings during the ongoing operation.