Brooklyn building collapse leaves one dead and four critically injured
Firefighters searched rubble in Flatbush after a three-story building collapsed beside an excavation site, trapping people and sending 10 others to hospitals.
By Amir Navarro ·
At least one person was killed when a three-story building collapsed beside a construction site in Brooklyn on Wednesday, November 11, leaving others trapped under the debris. Firefighters searched through the wreckage in the borough’s Flatbush neighborhood, working into darkness to reach people beneath the fallen structure.
The New York City fire department said one person had died and four people were transported to a hospital in critical condition. Another six people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. Crews had been called to the scene at about 4pm, and aerial footage later showed rescuers searching the debris.
Video recorded from news helicopters showed dozens of firefighters moving through the rubble. A group concentrated its efforts on one section of the wreckage, where rescuers appeared to be cutting through material with a saw. The footage also captured firefighters pulling at least one person from the debris and carrying that person away on a stretcher.
The collapsed building stood along the edge of a lot undergoing excavation for a construction project. A separate, one-story building on that lot had previously been demolished. When the neighboring three-story structure fell, bricks and wood from the building spilled into and filled the construction pit.
A building adjoining the collapsed structure was still standing after the collapse, but the wall it had shared with the fallen building had been torn away. The damage left interior rooms open to view from outside. Among the exposed spaces were a bedroom and closets containing clothing.
Firefighters also searched manually, digging into the debris and throwing pieces of rubble aside as they worked. A drone hovered above the scene during the operation. Rescue dogs were brought in to help search for survivors amid the remains of the building and the material that had fallen into the excavation.
The search continued as daylight faded. Firefighters used flashlights to light the parts of the wreckage where they were working, continuing their efforts to locate people beneath the rubble.
Phone and email messages requesting comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor connected to the construction project. Those individuals or firms were identified in city records as being associated with the work at the site.
