By Our Correspondent
At least eight people, including two children, have been killed and 18 others injured following the collapse of a three-storey residential building in Brooklyn, New York, as emergency responders continue to search for survivors trapped beneath the rubble.
The building, located near a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of New York City, reportedly housed several apartments before it collapsed.
New York City Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, described the incident as heartbreaking in a post on X, urging residents and members of the public to stay away from the scene on Flatbush Avenue to allow emergency operations to continue.
About 250 personnel of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) were deployed to the site, working under what Mamdani described as extremely dangerous conditions to rescue anyone still trapped beneath the debris.
Speaking at a news conference, the mayor confirmed that two of the deceased were children, while four of the 18 injured persons were firefighters.
He acknowledged that torrential rainfall in the area could complicate rescue operations but assured that efforts would continue.
“Conditions will get more challenging today with the rain, but operations will continue,” he said.
New York Fire Commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore, also confirmed that rescue operations were still ongoing, stressing that emergency responders had not yet moved from search and rescue to recovery.
“We have not shifted from rescue to recovery. We are still in the search and rescue phase,” she said.
Bonsignore explained that rescuers were proceeding on the assumption that more people could still be trapped beneath the debris until the larger sections of the wreckage were removed and the ground thoroughly searched.
An excavator was brought to the scene in the early hours of the day to assist in removing heavy debris, while drones and sniffer dogs were deployed to support the operation.
Footage from the scene showed rescue workers evacuating several victims on stretchers. One survivor, covered in dust, was pulled from the rubble at about 6:30 p.m. after rescuers dug through the debris to reach the victim.
Among those rescued was a six-months-pregnant woman whose husband had reportedly spent hours searching for her.
The woman’s husband later confirmed her survival to New York’s ABC News affiliate, WABC.
“I have an update. She is alive, she is still alive. I am very happy,” he said.
The incident attracted dozens of onlookers, some visibly distressed and in tears, as rescue teams continued their efforts.
Addressing residents at an evening briefing, Bonsignore warned that the operation could take considerable time, noting that emergency responders were yet to complete their work at the site.
Meanwhile, several residents displaced by the collapse were accommodated at Bethesda Church of God in Christ, located opposite the affected building.
An adjoining building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, although part of its wall was torn away, exposing rooms, including a bedroom and wardrobes containing clothing.
Officials from the New York City Department of Buildings have commenced investigations to establish the cause of the collapse.
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