Three more bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a three-story building that collapsed in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, bringing the death toll to five, city officials said.
When the building in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn initially came down, the New York Fire Department reported two deaths. An unknown number of people remain trapped inside, officials said.
The collapse left 19 people injured, including a firefighter. Four were taken to area hospitals in critical condition, while the others sustained minor or non-life-threatening injuries. Over 12 hours later, the rescue operation is ongoing with over 250 fire and EMS personnel on the scene.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the FDNY received a 911 call reporting the collapse at 1321 Flatbush Avenue at 4:01 p.m., with firefighters arriving within one minute and immediately launching efforts to find people in the rubble.
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Rescue crews are deploying drones to survey the wreckage from above and vacuum trucks to safely remove debris as they search for anyone who may still be buried.
The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB), which has inspectors and engineers on the scene, has launched an investigation into how the collapse happened. A cause has not been determined.
The building, which had a store at street level and apartments upstairs, fell into an open construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Avenue.
The developers at 2625 Bedford Avenue had active permits for excavation and foundation work in order to construct a new building, which is set to be three stories tall.
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In March, the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) issued a stop work order after inspectors found that the developers had demolished the existing building on the site without providing adequate shielding to neighboring properties, including 1321 Flatbush Avenue.
Just over a month later, DOB investigators found out that the demolition had continued in violation of the stop work order, which resulted in the contractor being fined $10,000, per city records.
By May, the stop work order was lifted after the developers came into compliance, according to the DOB.
The DOB said Wednesday’s collapse at 1321 Flatbush Avenue prompted officials to once again halt all work at 2625 Bedford Avenue.
