Two killed and at least 10 injured as three-storey building collapses in Brooklyn, New York

At least two people have been killed in the collapse of a three-storey building in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States. At least 10 others were injured, four of them critically. It is still not confirmed whether anyone else remains trapped under the rubble.

The building came down on Wednesday afternoon (11 November) in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, next to a construction project. After the collapse, bricks and wooden debris from the building spread into the excavation pit of the neighbouring construction site.

The building housed residential apartments as well as various businesses, so residents and people from the businesses were inside at the time of the collapse.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the 10 injured people had been taken to hospital and that four of them were in a critical condition. In a statement posted on social media, he expressed sympathy for the rescue workers and the affected residents.

The fire service said the rescue operation could continue for several days. New York fire chief John Esposito said it had not yet been possible to confirm how many people were missing.

Rescuers are clearing the rubble by hand as well as with saws and other equipment. Trained dogs are also being used to search for anyone still alive under the debris. After night fell, the crews continued the operation by torchlight.

Resident Anderson Velez was at work when the building collapsed. At home were his wife and their two children, aged 7 and 2. After the collapse his wife phoned from under the rubble asking for help; while pleading for their son to be rescued, the call was cut off. Velez later learned that his family members had been pulled out alive.

A one-storey structure next to the building had earlier been demolished for the construction project, and excavation work was under way there. After the collapse, part of the wall of another neighbouring building also gave way, leaving its interior rooms visible from outside.