Two dead, several injured after New York building collapses

At least two people died and 19 others were injured, including seven children, after a three-story mixed-use building collapsed into an adjacent construction site in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood in New York.

The collapse occurred around 4:01 PM. near the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue.

Fire Department of New York (FDNY) crews arrived within one minute of the 911 call and immediately began search-and-rescue operations amid piles of rubble.

Officials reported 19 patients in total: two fatalities, four people in critical condition, and 12 in stable condition. One firefighter sustained minor injuries.

Rescuers pulled multiple people from the debris, including survivors extracted hours later, and used search dogs as the operation continued into the night.

Authorities cautioned that the victim count could rise, as the full number of people in the building or trapped in the collapse zone remained unknown.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the effort as extremely dangerous.

“We do not know how many people are still in the collapse zone,” she said.

“We will likely not be finished for some time.” She added that crews “expect that there could be more people as this operation progresses” and noted the methodical, choreographed work required to avoid further harm.

FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito called the scene “a very unstable situation,” warning of the risk of secondary collapse and stating that searches would continue for several days until the entire site was cleared.

The building, which had commercial space on the ground floor and residential units above, collapsed into a large excavation pit on the neighboring lot where workers had been digging earlier that day.

Debris filled the construction hole. An adjacent structure that shared a wall remained standing but had its side sheared off, exposing interior rooms, furniture, and closets.

City Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani confirmed the link to the adjacent excavation for a planned development; plans for a taller building on the site had been submitted but not yet approved.

The Department of Buildings was investigating the cause.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the situation “incredibly challenging and fast-moving… with precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface.”

He praised the rapid response of first responders and urged the public to avoid the area so crews could work.

Local officials described a chaotic scene with infants and toddlers among those pulled from the rubble, and one six-months-pregnant woman was among those rescued in critical condition.

A reception center for displaced residents opened at the Flatbush YMCA.

Witnesses described sudden chaos, with bricks falling and people screaming as rescue efforts unfolded.

Firefighters worked by hand and with power tools under lights as darkness fell, while more than 250 FDNY and EMS personnel operated at the scene.

Street closures affected Flatbush Avenue, and traffic delays were expected.