1 dead, 4 critically injured after building collapse in New York City

Detailed summary

Firefighters dug through the rubble of a three-story building in Brooklyn on Wednesday after it collapsed at the edge of a construction site, killing at least one person and…

Firefighters dug through the rubble of a three-storey building in New York City's Brooklyn neighbourhood on Wednesday after it collapsed at the edge of a construction site, killing at least one person and trapping others beneath the wreckage.

Firefighters were called to the scene in the borough's Flatbush section around 4 p.m. News helicopter footage showed dozens of firefighters scouring the debris, with a group homing in on one area and appearing to use a saw to cut through the wreckage.

One person died, and four others were rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to the New York City Fire Department.

Firefighters search through the rubble on Wednesday. (Ryan Murphy/The Associated Press)

The aerial videos showed firefighters digging at least one person out of the rubble and removing them on a stretcher.

The building that collapsed had been perched at the edge of a lot where another one-storey building had been torn down for a construction project. The site was being excavated, and the building that fell down filled the construction pit with bricks and wood.

Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.

A wall was shorn off the Brooklyn building, exposing a bedroom and closets filled with clothing inside. (Ryan Murphy/The Associated Press)

A drone hovered over the site as firefighters dug by hand, tossing chunks of rubble aside. Rescuers also used dogs to sniff for survivors. As darkness fell, firefighters used flashlights to illuminate the area where they worked.

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