Eight killed and 17 injured in Brooklyn building collapse during nearby construction

At least eight people died and 17 were injured when a three-storey mixed-use building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn collapsed at 4:01 p.m. on Wednesday, city officials said. The structure gave way while construction crews were digging on a neighbouring plot, and the collapse sent the building into an adjacent construction pit.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who arrived at the scene within a minute of the incident report, said a survivor was pulled from the rubble overnight and that the search for additional victims continued. He posted on X that he was “heartbroken” by the loss and thanked emergency workers for operating “under extremely dangerous conditions.”

Governor Kathy Hochul wrote on X that her administration would give “its full support” to the investigation and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

Witness Brigitte Anama, who was working across the street at a hair salon, told the Associated Press she heard a “boom” and saw smoke and dust as emergency crews pulled what appeared to be a child from the debris.

Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore warned that heavy rain forecast for Thursday could turn the site into mud, but said firefighters would continue rescue efforts. She described the mission as “dangerous and perilous” and noted that “every move is choreographed.”

City Department of Buildings records show a stop-work order was issued in March after inspectors found demolition work proceeding without required overhead protection. Inspections in April found the work had resumed in violation of the order, but the department allowed it to continue in May after corrective measures were taken.

Among the deceased was a 26-year-old construction worker identified by his brother as Luis Caguana, who left a pregnant wife and a young child.