At least 8 dead after a Flatbush building collapses into an excavation

Note

A three-story building in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood collapsed into an excavation next door on Wednesday afternoon, Nov 11. CBS New York, citing the New York City Police Department, said the building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, near Bedford Avenue, came down completely just after 4 p.m., and that the side of the adjacent building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue was torn off. ABC7 New York, citing the FDNY, said the building, which had a store at street level and apartments upstairs, fell into an open excavation at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where workers were digging at the time. Good Morning America, citing the FDNY, said the first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that eight people were killed and at least 17 others were injured, including three firefighters, ABC7 New York and Good Morning America report. The Associated Press published a matching account attributing those figures to the mayor; that AP article was Cloudflare-blocked from this host. Officials have used "at least" as rescue crews continued to search the rubble. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said investigators did not know how many people might still be in the collapse zone or missing, CBS New York reports, and officials told ABC7 New York that others may still be missing.

ABC7 New York and Good Morning America, citing authorities, said six people were pronounced dead at the scene and two died at the hospital, and that four people recovered Thursday morning appeared to be construction workers. Officials said seven children were among those treated; Bonsignore did not say whether any of the children were among the dead, Good Morning America and ABC7 New York report.

The cause remains under investigation by the Department of Buildings and law enforcement, authorities told Good Morning America and CBS New York. The Department of Buildings said the developer had an active permit for excavation and foundation work and issued a full stop-work order, ABC7 New York reports. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said the search would take several days, CBS New York reports.