Nov. 12 (UPI) — The death toll from Wednesday’s collapse of a three-story building in Brooklyn has increased to eight on Thursday as emergency responders continue to search the wreckage.
Firefighters and police worked through the night searching through the debris in the Flatbush neighborhood. The building collapsed into an excavation site where people were working.
FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said Wednesday that there were people trapped from the building and the construction site.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that eight people have been confirmed dead and another 17 were injured. Three of the injured were firefighters responding to the scene.
“Rescue workers have spent the night searching the site of yesterday’s building collapse, working under extremely dangerous conditions to find and save anyone who may still be trapped,” Mamdani said. “I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters.”
Seven children are among those hurt in the collapse but officials have not confirmed whether any of them were killed.
The New York City Department of Buildings announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the cause of the collapse.
The collapsed building, at 1321 Flatbush Ave., was built in 1930 and underwent a renovation in 1960. It was a mixed-use property with four residential units and one commercial unit.
There is an adjoining building that remained standing after the collapse. New York Fire Department Chief John Esposito said Wednesday it presents a danger to rescue workers.
“Where our main concern is a secondary collapse, we’ve taken measures to keep an eye on that and try to ensure that there is no further collapse,” Esposito said during a press conference.
The collapse was reported at 4:01 p.m. EST on Wednesday.
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