At least two people have been killed and 17 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday afternoon. The building, at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, came down shortly after 4 p.m. and fell into an open excavation site next door, where construction work was under way.

The Fire Department of the City of New York said 19 people were treated in total, including the two who died. Four people were in critical condition and 12 were listed as stable, while one firefighter suffered minor injuries. Seven children were among the injured. The identities and ages of the two people who died had not been released on Wednesday night.

Rescue operation through the night

The first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m., and a local fire company arrived at the scene in under a minute. More than 250 firefighters and paramedics were deployed, using drones, search dogs and chainsaws to locate people trapped beneath the rubble. Rescuers pulled another survivor out on a stretcher about two and a half hours after the collapse.

Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore warned that the operation would be a long one. “We do not know how many people are still in the collapse zone, and this will be a prolonged operation,” she told reporters. Chief of Department John Esposito described the rescue as an “extremely dangerous operation” for firefighters and said the search could continue for several days.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the scene and spoke at an evening news conference, describing “precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface”. “I want to ask New Yorkers to please take a moment to pray for those who passed away today and all of those who are mourning their loss,” he said.

What is known about the site

City records list 1321 Flatbush Avenue as a three-storey mixed-use building dating to 1930, with four residential units above a shop at street level. The neighbouring lot at 2625 Bedford Avenue had a one-storey building demolished earlier in 2026, and excavation work was under way there. The collapse also tore away part of the adjacent building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue, exposing apartments inside, although that building remained standing.

Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said workers had been excavating on the adjacent lot earlier in the day. Developers had approval for a three-storey building on the site and were seeking permission for a nine-storey building. The city’s Department of Buildings is investigating the cause of the collapse; no cause had been established by Wednesday night, and officials have not said whether the excavation played a role.

Flatbush Avenue was closed between Clarendon Road and Bedford Avenue while rescue work continued. Casualty figures were updated through the evening as more victims were found: early reports put the toll at one dead and at least 10 injured before the Fire Department confirmed two deaths and 17 injured. Officials cautioned that the numbers could still change as the search of the rubble goes on.

Sources: The Real Deal and News Central TV (AFP).