On a Wednesday evening in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a three-story building where families lived above shops gave way beside a construction pit, and the ground it had stood on became a field of brick and timber. Two people have died, and the city has spent the hours since working through the wreckage by hand, lifting out survivors where hope had seemed thin. It is the kind of disaster that reminds a neighborhood how closely its daily life rests on structures no one thinks about until they fail. The cause remains unknown, and the question of who answers for the excavation beside it will follow long af
Firefighters Pull Survivors From Rubble of Collapsed Brooklyn Building; At Least Two Dead
At least two people killed, at least 10 injured including four in critical condition, and others trapped beneath the rubble.
The building filled the construction pit with bricks and wood.
Mark
Let's start with what we know for certain. What happened Wednesday?
Mimi
A three-story building with apartments over businesses collapsed in Flatbush, at the edge of a lot being excavated for construction. At least two people are dead, and at least 10 went to the hospital, four in critical condition.
Mark
And the rescues?
Mimi
Around 6:30 p.m. firefighters pulled out a dust-covered person who was alive and moving. Anderson Velez's wife and two children, ages 7 and 2, were also pulled out alive, according to what he told the New York Post.
Luke
Careful with that one. It's his account to a newspaper. The source doesn't say which rescue was theirs or confirm their condition.
Mark
Fair. What's the scale of the search?
Mimi
Fire officials say it will go on for several days. Chief John Esposito said they don't know how many people were missing overall.
Luke
That's the biggest gap. Two dead and ten injured are the counts so far, not the final ones.
Mark
Is there any word on why it fell?
Luke
None. The building sat beside an excavation, and that's a fact worth noting, but no one has said that's the cause. The architect, owner and contractor in city records haven't responded yet.
Mimi
Investigators are expected to look at the project and the parties tied to it, but nothing has been determined.
The Pulse
- A three-story building fell beside an excavation pit in Flatbush, flooding the site with brick and wood and trapping people beneath it.
- Firefighters crawl across the debris with saws, dogs, and flashlights, digging by hand as darkness settles over the block.
- At least two are dead, at least ten hospitalized, and four are in critical condition, with the number still missing unknown.
- A mother and her two children were pulled out alive after their husband and father, at work, heard the call cut off.
- Investigators are turning toward the construction project and the architect, owner, and contractor, while searchers press on for several more days.
On a Wednesday evening in Flatbush, Brooklyn, a three-story building where families lived above shops gave way beside a construction pit, and the ground it had stood on became a field of brick and timber. Two people have died, and the city has spent the hours since working through the wreckage by hand, lifting out survivors where hope had seemed thin. It is the kind of disaster that reminds a neighborhood how closely its daily life rests on structures no one thinks about until they fail. The cause remains unknown, and the question of who answers for the excavation beside it will follow long after the rubble is cleared.
At about 6:30 on Wednesday evening, firefighters in Brooklyn's Flatbush section lifted a person out of a hole they had dug into the rubble. The person was covered in dust, alive and moving, and was rushed to a waiting ambulance. It came hours after a three-story mixed-use building, apartments stacked above businesses, had come down.
The building stood at the edge of a lot where a one-story structure had been torn down for a construction project. The site was being excavated, and when the building fell, it filled the pit with bricks and wood. At least two people were killed, and others remain trapped beneath the wreckage. News helicopter footage showed scores of firefighters working across the debris with their hands and power saws, while dogs sniffed for survivors and a drone hovered overhead. As night came, the digging continued by flashlight.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at least 10 people had been taken to hospitals, four in critical condition. Fire officials warned that search operations would last several days, and Chief John Esposito acknowledged that no one yet knew how many were missing.
Anderson Velez was at work when his wife called. She and their two children, ages 7 and 2, were trapped, and he heard her screaming for someone to help get their son out before the line went dead. Later he learned all three had been pulled out alive.
The cause has not been established. Messages sent to the architect, the property owner, and the general contractor tied to the project have so far gone unanswered. Investigators are expected to examine that work and those responsible for it. For now the rescue goes on, and the count of the missing remains unknown.
At about 6:30 on Wednesday evening, firefighters in Brooklyn's Flatbush section lifted a person out of a hole they had dug into a pile of rubble. The person was covered in dust, alive and moving. Rescuers hoisted them up on a stretcher and hurried them to a waiting ambulance. It came hours after a three-story building had come down.
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 torn down for a construction project. The site was being excavated, and when the building fell, it filled the construction pit with bricks and wood. At least two people were killed, and others were trapped beneath the wreckage.
News helicopter footage showed scores of firefighters crawling across the debris, working with their hands and with power saws. A drone hovered over the site. Rescuers brought in dogs to sniff for survivors. As darkness fell, firefighters kept digging by flashlight, tossing chunks of rubble aside by hand.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference that at least 10 people had been taken to a hospital with injuries, four of them in critical condition. Fire officials said search and rescue operations would continue for several days. The department's chief, John Esposito, said plainly that officials did not know how many people were missing overall.
A building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was sheared away. That exposed the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets full of clothing.
One resident of the collapsed building, Anderson Velez, told the New York Post he was at work when his wife called. She and their two children, ages 7 and 2, were trapped in the wreckage. He said she was screaming for someone to help get their son out, with rubble on top of her, and then the call cut off. Velez later learned that his wife and both children had been pulled out alive.
In a statement posted to social media, Mamdani asked people to hold the neighbors and members of the community in their hearts while emergency operations continued.
The cause has not been established. Phone and email messages seeking comment were left with the architect, the property owner and the general contractor listed in city records as associated with the construction project. Investigators are expected to examine that project and the parties responsible for it. For now, the work is on the pile, and the count of the missing is still unknown.
Notable Quotes
We do not know how many people were missing overall.— John Esposito, New York City Fire chief of department
Velez said his wife called as the building collapsed, screaming for help to get their son out, before the call cut off.— Anderson Velez, resident, to the New York Post
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