On a Wednesday afternoon in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a three-story building of apartments above shops gave way at the edge of a lot where a construction excavation was underway, and in the hours after, hundreds of firefighters began the slow, hand-by-hand work of searching a collapsed world for those still buried. It is one of the oldest and most fragile bargains of city life: that the walls around our homes will hold while others dig beside them. Here that bargain broke, leaving at least two dead, others unaccounted for, and a neighborhood to ask how close the work of building had come to the live
Firefighters Dig Through Brooklyn Rubble After Building Collapse Kills at Least 2, Traps Others
At least two people killed, at least 10 injured including four in critical condition, and others trapped in the wreckage, including a mother and two children according to a resident's account.
Every move is choreographed.
Mark
Let's start with the basic picture. What do we actually know happened in Flatbush?
Mimi
A three-story building with apartments over businesses collapsed Wednesday afternoon. It was at the edge of a lot where excavation was underway for a construction project. At least two people are dead, at least 10 went to the hospital, and four of those are critical.
Luke
And the cause? Because the excavation next door is the obvious suspect.
Mark
Is that confirmed?
Luke
No. The buildings commissioner said workers were doing excavation next to the building when it fell. That's a fact about timing and location. Nobody quoted has said the excavation caused it, and I'd keep those separate.
Mimi
Right. The people who could speak to it, the architect, the owner and the general contractor listed in city records, haven't responded yet to messages.
Mark
How many people are still under there?
Luke
Nobody knows. The fire department's chief said they don't know how many were missing overall. The only number we have is that at least two died.
Mimi
There was one rescue, around 6:30 p.m., when a dust-covered person came out alive from a hole the crews dug. About 250 firefighters were working, and officials say the search will go on for several days.
Mark
And the family Anderson Velez described?
Luke
That's one man's account to the New York Post. His wife called saying she and their children, 7 and 2, were trapped. It's powerful, but we don't know their status, and it's not independently confirmed in this reporting.
O Pulso
- A three-story apartment-and-shop building in Flatbush fell Wednesday afternoon, pouring brick and timber into an adjacent construction pit.
- About 250 firefighters clawed through the debris by flashlight, with dogs sniffing for survivors and a drone circling overhead.
- A dust-covered survivor was pulled alive from a hand-dug hole around 6:30 p.m., then rushed to a waiting ambulance.
- At least 10 people are hospitalized, four in critical condition, while the total number still missing remains unknown.
- A resident's frantic call from his trapped wife and children cut off, and officials warn of several more days of dangerous searching.
On a Wednesday afternoon in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a three-story building of apartments above shops gave way at the edge of a lot where a construction excavation was underway, and in the hours after, hundreds of firefighters began the slow, hand-by-hand work of searching a collapsed world for those still buried. It is one of the oldest and most fragile bargains of city life: that the walls around our homes will hold while others dig beside them. Here that bargain broke, leaving at least two dead, others unaccounted for, and a neighborhood to ask how close the work of building had come to the lives it was meant to serve.
On Wednesday afternoon, a three-story building in Brooklyn's Flatbush section came down, and firefighters began digging through the wreckage with their hands and power saws. At least two people were killed, and others remained trapped beneath the rubble.
The building was a mixed-use structure with apartments above businesses. It stood beside a lot where a one-story building had recently been demolished for a construction project, and excavation was underway next door when it fell. Bricks and wood spilled into the construction pit. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said construction workers were on site at the time.
About 250 firefighters worked the scene, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Dogs searched the pile, a drone hovered overhead, and crews kept working by flashlight as darkness fell. Around 6:30 p.m., rescuers pulled a dust-covered person from a hole they had dug. The person was alive, and was carried out on a stretcher to an ambulance.
At least 10 people were taken to hospitals, four in critical condition. Officials said the search would continue for several days, and that the number still missing was not known. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the work as dangerous and perilous, with every move carefully choreographed.
One resident, Anderson Velez, said he was at work when his wife called to say she and their two children, ages 7 and 2, were trapped. She was screaming for someone to save their son, he said, before the line went dead. Their condition is not known.
The cause of the collapse has not been determined. Messages sent to the architect, property owner and general contractor listed for the project were not immediately answered. The role of the excavation, the number still missing and the fate of those beneath the rubble will shape the days ahead.
On Wednesday afternoon, a three-story building in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn came down, and firefighters spent the hours that followed digging through the wreckage with their hands and power saws. At least two people were killed. Others were trapped beneath the rubble.
The building was a mixed-use structure, with apartments above businesses. It stood at the edge of a lot where a one-story building had been demolished for a construction project. The site was being excavated, and when the building fell, bricks and wood poured into the construction pit. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said construction workers were on site doing excavation next to the building at the time it collapsed.
Aerial footage from news helicopters showed scores of firefighters moving across the debris pile. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said about 250 firefighters were working the scene. A drone hovered overhead, and rescuers brought in dogs to sniff for survivors. As darkness fell, crews kept working by flashlight.
At around 6:30 p.m., firefighters pulled a dust-covered person from a hole they had dug into the pile. The person was alive and moving. Rescuers lifted them out on a stretcher and rushed them to a waiting ambulance.
Mamdani said at a news conference that at least 10 people had been taken to a hospital, four of them in critical condition. One firefighter suffered minor injuries. Fire officials said search and rescue operations would continue for several days. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said plainly that the number of people missing overall was not known.
A building that shared a wall with the collapsed one remained standing, but its wall was sheared away. That exposed the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets full of clothing.
Mamdani described the work as "an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation," with precarious wreckage and dangerous voids beneath the surface, and said this is the kind of rescue the FDNY trains for. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore called the work "dangerous and perilous" and said every move is choreographed.
One resident, Anderson Velez, told the New York Post he was at work when his wife called to say she and their two children, ages 7 and 2, were trapped in the wreckage. She was screaming for someone to help get their son out, he said, and then the call cut off. The source does not say what has happened to them since.
Phone and email messages seeking comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as associated with the construction project. As of the latest reporting, the cause of the collapse had not been determined. The role of the excavation next door, the number of missing and the condition of those still beneath the rubble are the questions that will come with the days of searching ahead.
Citações Notáveis
We do not know how many people were missing overall.— John Esposito, FDNY chief of department
She called me when the building collapsed while she was inside with rubble on top of her.— Anderson Velez, resident, to the New York Post
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