Eight confirmed dead as crews search rubble of collapsed Brooklyn building

Eight people are confirmed dead following Wednesday's collapse of a three-story residential and commercial building in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday, while crews kept working through the debris in search of anyone still buried.

The fire department put the number of injured at 17 or more, four of them critically, NBC10 and 6abc reported. Officials said seven children were among the victims but have not disclosed whether any of the dead were children. Outlets differed on firefighter injuries: 6abc and The Philadelphia Inquirer cited one firefighter with minor injuries, while NBC10 quoted a mayoral statement putting the number at three.

The structure at 1321 Flatbush Ave. gave way a little after 4 p.m. and tumbled into the adjoining lot at 2625 Bedford Ave., where workers had been digging for a new building, according to officials. CBS Philadelphia reported that the next-door building at 1323 Flatbush Ave. stayed upright but lost part of its side wall, leaving apartments open to view. The fallen building had a business on its first floor and housing on the floors above.

NBC10 reported that firefighters confirmed two deaths Wednesday and recovered six additional bodies overnight. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the victims included both construction workers and people inside the building, and that officials did not yet know how many were unaccounted for. "We know that we're not finished here, and we will likely not be finished for quite some time," she said, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Roughly 250 firefighters and emergency medical workers took part, digging by hand, cutting with power saws and bringing in search dogs. 6abc reported that crews freed a woman who was six months pregnant from the debris Wednesday evening. A man told NBC New York that his brother, a 26-year-old construction worker originally from Ecuador, died in the collapse.

Investigators have not determined what caused the building to fall. The Department of Buildings said the excavation was proceeding under approved plans for a three-story structure, NBC10 reported. City records cited by CBS Philadelphia show a demolition contractor was cited in April for tearing down a building on the lot in spite of a stop-work order; that violation is now marked resolved. CBS Philadelphia also reported that the Brooklyn District Attorney's office is coordinating with buildings officials and police to examine whether criminal conduct played any part.

The Inquirer and NBC10 reported that the construction project's owner, architect and contractor had not responded to requests for comment.

Police shut a stretch of Flatbush Avenue from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue. The Red Cross and the city's emergency management office set up a center at the Flatbush YMCA to help displaced residents. People trying to locate someone possibly caught in the collapse can call 311, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Compiled by True News from reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer, CBS Philadelphia, 6abc Action News and NBC10 Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/1001