Brooklyn Building Collapse Leaves 8 Dead as Crews Race to Search for Survivors

A three-story building in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood collapsed Wednesday afternoon, killing at least eight and leaving 17 people injured.

At a press conference Wednesday night, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said that seven of the casualties were children, but did not specify whether those children were among the dead or injured.

More than 250 firefighters along with a canine unit and search drones were on the scene at 1321 Flatbush Avenue combing through debris to search for survivors on Thursday morning. Roads around the collapsed building have been closed to traffic.

Part of the wall of 1323 Flatbush also came down in the collapse, leaving apartments in that building exposed to the elements. Neighbors were evacuated from the property and brought to the nearby Flatbush YMCA as a precaution.

The collapsed building at 1321 Flatbush, in Brooklyn's Little Haiti neighborhood, was built in 1930 and had four apartment units on the second and third floors while the first floor was a commercial storefront.

At the time of the collapse workers were excavating a lot adjacent to the property at 2625 Bedford Avenue. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said that the Bedford lot had been approved for a three story, 64-unit building but another permit application had been put in for a nine-story building on the site. A stop work order was issued for that project.

1321 Flatbush Avenue has 98 recorded violations according to the city's department of Housing, Preservation, and Development dating back to 1972. Eleven of those violations are from this year alone, and include "unsafe electrical wiring" and a notice to "provide an adequate supply of water for the wet sprinkler and/or standpipe."

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, alongside the Department of Buildings and local law enforcement, has launched an active joint inquiry to determine whether any criminal negligence or building code violations contributed to the disaster.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement: “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.“

Developing story, more to follow.