WEB DESK: Eight people were killed and at least 17 injured, including three firefighters, when a Brooklyn apartment building collapsed into an adjoining construction site on Wednesday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday.
The three-story, 1930-era building in Flatbush collapsed around 4 p.m. while excavation work was underway next door. Four people were in critical condition, the fire department told Reuters.
WABC-TV reported that at least four survivors, including a pregnant woman, were pulled from the wreckage roughly two hours after the collapse.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said seven children were among those affected but did not specify whether any had died. Officials did not know how many residents or construction workers were present.
About 250 fire and emergency medical personnel responded. A nearby firefighting crew arrived within a minute and helped rescue the first victims.
Search teams continued combing the rubble Thursday. Fire Department Chief John Esposito said searching the entire site could take several days, and the total number missing remained unknown.
The Department of Buildings and law enforcement officials were investigating the cause.
