A tragic building collapse in Brooklyn has claimed the lives of eight people and left at least 17 others injured, including three firefighters. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the updated toll on Thursday as rescue teams continued their work at the site.
The three-story apartment building in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn partially collapsed around 4 pm on Wednesday and fell into a neighboring construction site where excavation work was taking place. The city’s fire department earlier reported that four people were in critical condition following the incident. Local television station WABC-TV said at least four survivors were pulled from the wreckage within about two to two and a half hours of the collapse, including a pregnant woman.
Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were inside the 1930-era building when it came down, nor how many workers were present on the construction site at the time. Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore noted that seven children were among those affected by the collapse but declined to specify whether any of the deceased were children or adults.
Mayor Mamdani stated that the Department of Buildings and law enforcement officials are investigating the cause of the Brooklyn building collapse. A firefighting crew that happened to be nearby arrived at the scene within a minute and helped pull the first victims from the debris. About 250 fire and emergency medical services personnel were deployed to the location.
Rescue workers, assisted by search dogs, have been carefully combing through the ruins. They are removing debris by hand and in buckets while looking for any signs of people who may still be trapped in voids beneath the wreckage. City Fire Department Chief John Esposito warned that it could take several days to fully search the entire site for all potential victims. He added that officials still do not know the total number of people who remain missing.
The collapse has drawn significant attention across New York as emergency teams work around the clock. Investigators are examining the structural condition of the old apartment building and the impact of the ongoing excavation next door. Families of the victims are waiting for further updates while medical teams continue treating the injured. The city has promised to release more information as the rescue and investigation progress.
