8 dead in New York City building collapse, more than a dozen injured

Detailed summary

The three-storey building on a major road in Brooklyn, New York gave way while construction workers were digging on a neighbouring plot of land.

At least eight people have died in an apartment building collapse in Brooklyn, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday, as emergency workers continued the search for trapped individuals.

One survivor was pulled from the rubble overnight, the Associated Press reported, and 17 have been injured, some critically, including three firefighters. It is not clear how many people may still be trapped.

Authorities said late Wednesday that at least seven children were among those injured or dead.

The three-storey building on Flatbush Avenue, a major thoroughfare in Brooklyn, gave way at 4:01 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon while construction workers were digging on a neighbouring plot of land. Firefighters arrived on scene within one minute of receiving the incident report, Mamdani said.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, the AP said, citing New York City officials.

The mixed-use structure, comprised of apartments above a ground-level commercial space, crumbled into the adjacent construction pit. Another building attached to the the collapsed structure stayed standing, but its shared wall was ripped off, exposing its interior, including bedrooms and closets filled with clothes and shoes.

In a statement posted on X on Thursday, Mamdani said he was “heartbroken” that New Yorkers had lost their lives.

“There are no words for a loss of this magnitude,” he continued, “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today,” before asking people to stay clear of the site.

He also thanked emergency workers who he said were working “under extremely dangerous conditions to find and save anyone who may still be trapped.”

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