United States: building collapses in New York, at least two dead and 17 injured

The collapse of a three-story building left at least two dead and 17 injured Wednesday 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, firefighters searched the rubble of the building in front of another, apparently a residential building, of which a section of wall had disappeared, revealing a bed or even a dressing room, according to images broadcast by AFP.

The building 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.”

Two people died, she told the press, without giving the ages of the victims. Seventeen other people, including seven children, were injured, four of them seriously. 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. The developers had received permission to build a three-story building and were seeking a permit for nine stories.