At Least Eight Dead After Brooklyn Building Collapses Next To Excavation Site
At least eight people were killed and 17 injured when a three-story building collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, and rescue crews spent the night searching the wreckage for more victims.
The mixed-use building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue came down shortly after 4 p.m., falling into an excavation site next door near Bedford Avenue.
Three firefighters were among the injured, seven children were treated after the collapse, and four victims were reported in critical condition. The casualty figures changed repeatedly through the night as firefighters reached more people buried under the debris.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged the full resources of the state on Thursday and called the scene "absolutely heartbreaking."
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"My heart is with the victims and their loved ones after today's building collapse in Brooklyn," Hochul said.
A Search Compared To 9/11
About 250 emergency personnel responded. Crews worked through the night with search dogs, drones, excavators, vacuum equipment and hand tools.
FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito compared the operation to the rescue efforts after the Sept. 11 attacks, because firefighters were searching individual void spaces where survivors could be trapped.
Firefighters pulled several people alive from the rubble, including a pregnant woman whose husband had been desperately seeking news of her. Video showed her being carried out on a stretcher after crews found her conscious under the wreckage.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said crews were moving deliberately because shifting large pieces of debris too quickly could endanger both survivors and firefighters. Officials warned the search could last several days, and heavy rain was expected to complicate it.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the scene and called the disaster "devastating."
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"Our hearts are with the families of those who have lost loved ones, those who are injured, and everyone still waiting for news," Mamdani said.
Questions About The Construction Next Door
Officials have not determined what caused the collapse, but investigators are focusing heavily on the excavation and construction work right beside the building.
The collapsed structure, built nearly a century ago, had commercial space on the ground floor and apartments above. The neighboring property at 2625 Bedford Avenue was being excavated when it fell. Plans approved for that site included a three-story building, while separate plans for a larger nine-story mixed-use development had not been approved. The Department of Buildings is examining whether the excavation contributed to the collapse.
City records show inspectors issued a stop-work order at the neighboring site in March after finding inadequate protections during demolition. Inspectors later found that work had resumed despite the order and issued a violation in April.
Officials said those problems were corrected and construction was allowed to resume in May. Authorities stressed that investigators have not established whether the earlier violations had any connection to the collapse.
One of the victims was identified by relatives as construction worker Luis Caguana, an Ecuadorian immigrant whose wife is pregnant and who leaves behind a young child.
Officials are still working to determine how many people were inside the building or the construction area, which has made it harder to know whether more victims remain trapped.
Police closed surrounding streets and kept a large perimeter around the site, and residents were urged to avoid the area as the rescue and investigation continued.