Brooklyn Collapse: Eight Dead, 17 Injured
A three-story building in Flatbush fell into a neighboring construction pit on Wednesday, prompting a full city investigation and displacing hundreds of residents.
By Julian Schulz ·
Eight people have died and at least 17 were injured after a three-story building collapsed into an adjacent construction site in Flatbush, Brooklyn, on Wednesday afternoon. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the death toll on Thursday while rescue operations continued at the intersection of Flatbush and Bedford avenues.
The structure at 1321 Flatbush Avenue fell into the open-pit construction site at 2625 Bedford Avenue around 4 p.m. Wednesday. A neighboring building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue also sustained damage, with footage showing its side ripped away and rubble accumulating underneath. More than 250 fire and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene, where multiple individuals were trapped upon arrival.
Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani stated that a full investigation has begun with law enforcement partners to determine the cause of the collapse. Officials said they are examining all aspects of the building and the neighboring construction site. The city has not yet released the names of the victims. Mamdani described the loss as a magnitude for which there are no words, expressing condolences to the families of the deceased and the injured.
At a church across from the site on Thursday morning, a woman learned her husband, a construction worker, had died. She cried out for her spouse before collapsing onto the sidewalk. Jose Gutierrez, a colleague from the same company, said he arrived to support the family. He noted that the man's body was extracted from the site around 6 a.m. Thursday.
City officials urged residents to avoid the area and provided phone numbers for those unable to reach affected individuals. Emergency management officials and the Red Cross opened a reception center for displaced residents at the Flatbush YMCA at 1401 Flatbush Avenue. Authorities also shut down water mains near the site to aid in search and rescue operations, affecting approximately 100 buildings.
Structural stability inspections of nearby buildings are currently underway. The city continues to coordinate with first responders to secure the perimeter and assess the safety of the surrounding structures.
