Building collapse in New York: death toll rises to eight

The collapse of a three-story building left at least eight dead and 19 injured on Wednesday, November 11 in New York near a construction site, city authorities announced. Firefighters are currently unaware of the cause of the collapse, which is under investigation, they indicated on the X platform.

On site, in Brooklyn, in the Flatbush district, a popular neighborhood of Brooklyn where large Caribbean communities live, firefighters searched the rubble of the building. Dog teams, drones and helicopters were mobilized.

A section of wall has disappeared, revealing a bed or even a dressing room, according to images broadcast by AFP. The latest report on Wednesday evening showed two deaths. But during the night firefighters found four new deceased people, while two others died in hospital, fire chief Lillian Bonsignore detailed during a press conference.

The building, a three-story building dating from 1930 and with four apartments and commercial space on the ground floor, fell onto a nearby excavation site, trapping people whom firefighters had been rescuing for several hours using drones, dogs or chainsaws. “We do not know how many people are still in the collapse zone,” said New York fire chief Lillian Bonsignore in the evening, who anticipates a “long operation.” An adjacent building was also hit with one of its walls torn off, leaving a staircase and rooms exposed in the rubble.

“Rubble difficult to navigate”

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani thanked the more than 250 rescuers mobilized during a press conference. According to him, the site has “rubble that is difficult to navigate and dangerous cavities beneath the surface.” Anthony, a witness whose full name has not been made public, told PIX11 News he heard screams and what sounded like an explosion during the collapse. “The whole building started shaking and then it just collapsed,” another witness, Melissa Orna, recalled to the New York Times.

According to Ahmed Tigani, head of the municipal building department, workers were digging at the time of the collapse, which occurred in the afternoon in the middle of a public holiday. The developers had received a valid permit to build a three-story building and were seeking a permit for nine stories. A complete halt to work has since been ordered by the city. According to documents from the municipal buildings department consulted by AFP, the site was the subject of an injunction in April to stop work due to potentially dangerous demolition conditions.

The operations nevertheless continued, resulting in a fine of $10,000 for the company concerned. However, no link has been established at this stage between these failings and the collapse of the building. According to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, five different companies linked to the construction site have been identified. “If any person or entity operating in this city bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them to full accountability,” he said.