Brooklyn Building Collapse Leaves Eight Dead, 17 Injured as Rescue Efforts Continue

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed on Thursday that at least eight people have died in the collapse of a three-story residential building in Brooklyn. The mayor stated that 17 others were injured, including three firefighters. He added that rescue teams are working under extremely dangerous conditions to find anyone still trapped in the debris.

The structure, located on Flatbush Avenue near Bedford Avenue, fell around 4 p.m. on Wednesday. The FDNY responded in less than a minute and reported that two people were rescued from the rubble shortly after the incident. The cause of the collapse remains unknown. A heavy rain forecast for Thursday afternoon posed a risk to the ongoing search and rescue operations.

More than 250 firefighters and paramedics, along with canine units from the FDNY and NYPD, worked through the night to clear unstable piles of debris. The FDNY noted that the number of victims could rise because officials did not know how many people were inside the building when it fell. Lillian Bonsignore, the FDNY commissioner, said the toll could change within minutes as the multi-day operation continues.

Among the injured were seven children and one firefighter with minor wounds. Four of the 17 injured are in critical condition, while the rest suffered minor injuries. The FDNY indicated that the building contained a commercial space on the ground floor and apartments on the upper levels. The agency stated that work was being done at the site at the time of the collapse.

The site is adjacent to an excavation area. Municipal records show the land is owned by a limited liability company seeking to build a 56,000-square-foot mixed-use building. The planned structure includes a supermarket on the ground floor and eight floors of residential apartments. A single-story building that previously occupied the adjacent lot was fully demolished in 2025. The Department of Buildings confirmed that excavations were underway with approved plans for a three-story structure, though plans for a nine-story building had not yet been approved.

Carlos, the brother of one identified victim, spoke to Telemundo 47 about his sibling, José Luis Caguana, a 26-year-old construction worker from Ecuador. Caguana leaves behind a child aged four or five and a pregnant wife. Carlos described his sister-in-law as overwhelmed and struggling to find words for her loss, noting that her husband was the sole financial support for the family.

The FDNY reported that the collapsed building filled the nearby excavation with bricks and wood. Aerial footage showed dozens of firefighters searching the site well into the night. As darkness fell, crews used flashlights to illuminate the work area while excavating by hand. A drone monitored the scene from above during the search.

The owner of the adjacent construction project is an LLC led by Robert Fischman and his partners. The company did not immediately respond to messages regarding the collapse. Telemundo 47 was unable to contact the owner of the collapsed building. The mayor urged residents to stay clear of the area and to call 311 if they could not reach someone affected by the incident. Those outside New York City were instructed to call 212-639-9675.

The collapse occurred in the Flatbush neighborhood. The FDNY said the initial response included units from the police department to assist in the search. The department emphasized that the rescue operation is a race against time due to the unstable nature of the debris and the weather forecast. The mayor expressed his heartbreak over the loss of eight New Yorkers and offered condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

The building had a commercial space on the ground floor and residential units above. The FDNY stated that the collapse happened next to a construction site where a single-story building had been demolished the previous year. The excavation site was filled with debris from the collapsed structure. The mayor’s office released a statement on X reiterating the death toll and injury count. The FDNY continues to assess the structural integrity of the remaining debris as the search for survivors proceeds.