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The number of victims of the collapse of a three-story building in Brooklyn has risen to three deaths, according to a new toll from the New York authorities reported by the American media. At least 17 people were injured, four of them in serious condition. Rescuers do not rule out that there may be other victims under the rubble.
The tragedy occurred around 4pm on Wednesday 11 November, 10pm in Italy, near the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Bedford Avenue, in the residential neighborhood of Flatbush. The building collapsed into the chasm of an adjacent construction site, where several workers were at work. “Several people who were in the building and on the construction site were trapped,” explained the head of the New York fire brigade, Lillian Bonsignore.
Collapse in Brooklyn, the race against time to find the missing
New York firefighters continued to dig through the rubble with the help of drones, dog units and artificial lights, hoping to find more survivors. Among the people rescued there are a woman and a child.
The images released by the media show the apartments of an adjacent building still standing, but with one wall completely demolished, exposed to the open air. According to the police, a family of six lived in one of the homes.
“Everything collapsed and people were screaming,” said Melissa Orna, 53, who felt the collapse while accompanying her daughter to the nearby hairdresser. “The building started to shake, then it came down,” he added, saying he saw rescuers extract a woman and another person from the rubble, who looked like a construction worker and on whom cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed. Shortly afterwards, a child was also pulled out alive.
The mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, asked citizens on X to avoid the collapse area “to allow rescuers to operate”. «I am working to secure the area and provide assistance to citizens. Flatbush Avenue is closed to traffic between Clarendon Road and Bedford Avenue,” the mayor wrote. “I invite you to join me in sparing a thought for our fellow citizens and all members of this community.”
The investigations into the causes of the collapse and the work on the nearby construction site
According to municipal data, the collapsed building was built in 1930 and housed four apartments, as well as commercial space on the ground floor. Another building had been demolished on the adjacent land and excavation work was being carried out for a new construction.
Investigators are trying to ascertain whether work on the construction site contributed to the collapse. According to New York City Department of Buildings records, the continuation of demolition work despite an earlier cease and desist order was challenged in April. The violation resulted in a fine of $10,000, which was subsequently assessed.
However, the causes of the tragedy remain to be ascertained and, at the moment, a connection has not been established between that violation and the collapse of the building.