New York: Brooklyn Building Collapse Kills at Least 2, Injures 17 in Flatbush

A three-storey building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, collapsed at about 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday, November 11, falling into an excavation pit at the construction site next door. At least two people were killed and 17 injured. About 250 firefighters searched through the night, and as of Wednesday evening it was still unknown whether anyone remained trapped under the rubble.

What happened

The collapsed building, at 1321 Flatbush Avenue near Newkirk Avenue, was a mixed-use structure dating from 1930 with four residential units. It fell into the excavation pit at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where digging work was under way for a new building.

The Fire Department of New York said the first emergency call came at 4:01 p.m. A fire crew returning from another incident arrived within a minute and began search and rescue. The department declared a major technical rescue, deploying search dogs and drones.

Casualties and rescue

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said 19 patients were found at the scene, including the two people who died; four were in critical condition, 12 were stable, and one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Seven of the victims were children. Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the site and said at a news conference at about 8 p.m. that at least two people had been killed and more than 10 taken to hospital.

Rescuers pulled several survivors alive from the rubble, including a woman about six weeks pregnant and a mother with her two young children, aged 7 and 2. The fire department said the search could take days because the site is unstable, and it does not yet know how many people are missing. Flatbush Avenue is closed between Clarendon Road and Bedford Avenue, and the city's Emergency Management agency set up a reception centre for affected residents at the Flatbush YMCA.

Cause under investigation

The cause of the collapse has not been determined. Investigators from the Department of Buildings were at the scene, examining the condition of the collapsed building and whether the excavation work next door played a role. Officials warned the casualty figures may still change as the search continues.