Two killed, 17 injured as Brooklyn building collapses beside construction site

• At least two people died and 17 were injured, including seven children, after a three-storey building collapsed in Brooklyn

• Around 250 firefighters and emergency responders searched the rubble, with four injured people in a critical condition

• Excavation was under way at an adjoining construction site, but the cause of the collapse remained unknown

At least two people were killed and 17 injured when a three-storey apartment building collapsed into an adjoining construction excavation in Brooklyn on Wednesday, leaving emergency crews searching unstable wreckage for possible survivors.

Seven children were among those injured, New York City fire commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. Four people were in a critical condition.

The building fell shortly after 4 pm near the junction of Bedford and Flatbush avenues in the Flatbush neighbourhood. The collapse also tore away a wall of a neighbouring three-storey property, exposing a staircase, bedroom and cupboards.

Around 250 firefighters and emergency responders worked across the debris into Wednesday night. Officials said they did not know how many people might remain trapped and warned that the search could continue for days.

Footage from the scene showed rescuers lifting people from the rubble, placing them on stretchers and using ladders to carry them out of the excavation.

Bonsignore described the rescue operation as extremely dangerous. Unstable debris and concealed gaps beneath the wreckage complicated efforts to reach anyone still inside.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the Department of Buildings and law enforcement agencies would investigate the cause.

Excavation under scrutiny

Officials confirmed that excavation work was taking place next door when the building collapsed. However, they had not established what caused the failure.

The adjoining plot previously contained a single-storey building that had been demolished. A deep excavation occupied the site at the time of Wednesday’s disaster.

Building officials said plans had been approved for a three-storey development on the plot, while developers had also submitted proposals for a nine-storey building.

City records showed that the Department of Buildings had ordered demolition work at the neighbouring property to stop in March. A subsequent inspection found that the entire structure had nevertheless been demolished, resulting in a $10,000 fine.

Whether the construction work or earlier violations contributed to the collapse remained under investigation.

Residents await news

The collapsed property, built in 1930, contained four flats and a ground-floor commercial unit, according to city information.

Witness Melissa Orna, 53, said she was dropping her daughter at a nearby hair salon when she heard the collapse. She described the building shaking before falling as people screamed.

Crowds gathered nearby as residents waited for information about relatives and others they feared might be beneath the debris.

The site lies along a busy shopping thoroughfare in Flatbush’s Little Haiti area, surrounded by residential streets. The collapse occurred on Veterans Day, when schools and some businesses were closed.

Firefighters reached the scene within a minute, officials said.

By Wednesday evening, Flatbush Avenue remained closed between Clarendon Road and Bedford Avenue. Authorities urged people to avoid the area so emergency crews could continue the search.

With agency inputs