Excavation work eyed as potential cause of devastating Brooklyn building collapse that killed 8

Detailed summary

The three-story Flatbush apartment building caved into the adjacent lot Wednesday afternoon as the excavation work was underway — prompting Mayor Zohran Mamdani to order a review of about 100…

Excavation work at a construction site next door to a Brooklyn building that crumbled suddenly — killing eight people and injuring nearly 20 others — is being eyed as a possible cause of the devastating collapse.

The three-story Flatbush apartment building caved into the adjacent lot Wednesday afternoon as the excavation work was underway — prompting Mayor Zohran Mamdani to order a review of about 100 properties across the city linked to “five entities” involved in the construction.

“A tragedy of this magnitude demands a comprehensive and thorough investigation that includes both the construction site and the building which collapsed. That has already begun,” Mamdani said at a press conference Thursday.

“If there is anyone, or any entity, operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable,” he vowed.

“We will find out what happened and we will share that information with New Yorkers.”

The Department of Buildings was also investigating an anonymous complaint filed a couple of hours after 1321 Flatbush Ave. collapsed that claimed contractors at the neighboring 2625 Bedford Ave. construction site were digging too close to the doomed apartments.

“The subcontractor may have excavated too much of the area along the neighboring foundation at once,” the tip read, before describing “stepped footing” intervals and various particular measurements and procedures undertaken at the worksite.

“Please determine whether the excavation sequence, the extent of foundation exposure, or the soil and groundwater conditions contributed to the collapse,” it added. “I believe the collapse may have been preventable.”

Two children were among the dead, officials said Thursday, while terrifying photos showed a neighboring building with the wall sloughed off — and placid bedrooms and clothing-filled closets next door exposed to the chasm.

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