Two people died and 17 others were injured when a three-story Brooklyn building collapsed into an adjacent excavation site Wednesday, triggering a rescue operation that continued into the night.
Four people were in critical condition, officials said during a Wednesday night briefing with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore. Seven children were among those treated, and one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
The collapse occurred at 1321 Flatbush Ave., near Bedford Avenue, shortly after 4 p.m. The building contained ground-floor commercial space and apartments upstairs.
FDNY said the call came at 4:01 p.m. and firefighters arrived within one minute. People inside the building and workers at the neighboring construction site were trapped.
More than 250 fire and emergency medical personnel responded. Crews worked carefully through unstable debris, searching spaces where survivors might be found while trying to avoid triggering another collapse.
“Collapse operations are extremely dangerous,” Bonsignore said. “Every move is choreographed and critically important to patient outcomes and member safety.”
Officials cautioned Wednesday night that they did not know how many people might remain in the wreckage.
Firefighters pulled survivors from the debris over several hours. Their work included using search dogs, drones and equipment to cut through or remove wreckage, AFP reported from the scene.
The cause remains under investigation. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said excavation was underway beside the structure when it fell. Officials had not established that the construction caused the collapse.
The excavation site is at 2625 Bedford Ave. Inspectors were also checking the structural stability of nearby buildings.
WABC’s examination of city records found months of demolition and construction activity at the neighboring site. The station reported an April summons involving an alleged stop-work-order violation that was later resolved. That history has not been established as a cause of Wednesday’s disaster.
At least eight households were displaced, city officials said. A reception center opened at the Flatbush YMCA to provide assistance, including mental health services, for people affected by the collapse who were not hospitalized.
Police urged people to avoid the area around Flatbush and Bedford avenues because of street closures and the emergency response.
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