A three-storey building collapsed in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least two people, according to the Associated Press (AP), Al Jazeera, BNO News and NTV.
The building, with apartments above ground-floor businesses, came down into an excavation pit on the neighbouring lot, AP and Al Jazeera reported. AP, Al Jazeera and BNO News said construction workers were digging on the adjacent site at the time.
Injured and missing
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said 17 people were injured, four of them critically, and that one firefighter suffered minor injuries, Al Jazeera and BNO News reported. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said more than 10 people had been taken to hospital, according to AP and NTV.
"We do not know how many people were missing overall," FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said, according to AP and HELLO!. Residents of the collapsed building and workers from the construction site were trapped under the rubble, Al Jazeera and BNO News reported.
Rescue operation
Around 250 firefighters and emergency personnel took part in the operation, according to AP and BNO News, with search dogs used to look for survivors. A pregnant woman was pulled from the debris and taken to an ambulance, Al Jazeera and HELLO! reported.
Mamdani said first responders reached the scene within a minute of the first emergency call, according to Al Jazeera and BNO News. FDNY officials expect crews to remain at the site for several days, AP and BNO News reported.
The cause of the collapse has not been determined, and the city’s Department of Buildings is investigating, according to BNO News and HELLO!. A reception centre for affected residents was opened at the Flatbush YMCA, Al Jazeera and BNO News reported.
Sources
- Firefighters dig through rubble after NYC building collapse kills at least 2, traps others (AP / KCRA)
- Building collapse in Brooklyn kills two, injures more than a dozen (Al Jazeera)
- Brooklyn building collapse kills at least 2 and injures 17; others possibly missing (BNO News)
- Two dead and 17 injured as New York building collapses with children trapped in rubble (HELLO!)
- New York’ta bina çöktü. En az iki kişi öldü (NTV)
Photo: Christian David / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
