A quiet Wednesday afternoon turned into a nightmare for residents of a Brooklyn apartment building when their homes suddenly came crashing down, claiming at least two people's lives and leaving several others trapped beneath the rubble.
Firefighters are racing to find survivors, many of whom were still waiting for their loved ones to be pulled out from the trail of destruction.
Highlights
- More than 250 firefighters search for survivors after a Brooklyn apartment building collapsed on Wednesday.
- At least two people lost their lives, and 17 were injured, including kids.
- The 1930-built apartment building collapsed into an active construction site.
- One father received a desperate phone call from his wife while she was still under the rubble.
One man said his wife called him while the rubble was still on top of her.
At least two people lost their lives, and 17 were injured after the Brooklyn building collapse
More than 250 firefighters rushed to the Flatbush neighborhood after the three-story apartment building collapsed into an active construction area, with workers still on the site, at around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
At least two people lost their lives, and 17 others were injured, four of whom were in critical condition.
Around seven of the injured were children.
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the rescue mission as “extremely dangerous,” saying people from the collapsed building and also the construction site had been trapped.
Authorities “do not know how many people are still in the collapse zone,” she added.
Images and videos captured FDNY personnel pulling victims out with the help of search dogs.
The building, built in 1930, collapsed onto an active construction site next door
Officials said the search efforts could go on for days because of how dangerous the situation is, and disrupting the piles and the rubble too quickly would be risky.
“Members have been working methodically and haven't stopped since they arrived this afternoon,” Bonsignore said.
The building was built in 1930, according to city records, and had a mix of four residential and one commercial unit.
The collapse also “sheared off the wall of an adjacent 3-story apartment building,” New York City Comptroller Mark Levine said in a Wednesday statement.
The city’s Department of Buildings will be conducting an investigation into what led to the collapse.
A Pregnant woman was rescued from the wreckage, leaving her partner emotional with relief
The devastating incident left families desperately waiting for news of their loved ones, with officials warning that the number of victims could rise.
As rescue crews continued their search into the night, authorities said they did not know how many people were still missing or trapped beneath the rubble.
Reverend Alfred Joseph, 72, the pastor of the Bethesda Church of God in Christ across the street, opened up the church to those who lost their homes.
“There was one lady saying her husband is still in the rubble. She was not crying. She was so quiet,” he told the New York Post.
Among those caught in the disaster was the family of Anderson Velez, 35, who was in tears when he said, “My family, man. Oh man. My two kids.”
Anderson was still at work when he got a call from his wife, who was still trapped inside the crumbled structure with their kids, aged 7 and 2.
One resident said his wife managed to call him while still trapped under the rubble
“She called me when the building collapsed while she was inside with rubble on top of her,” said the helpless father.
“She was screaming for someone to help get my son out, and then the call cut off,” he added.
His family was eventually rescued and was out of harm’s way.
Another woman rescued from the rubble was six months pregnant, according to her relieved partner.
“She’s alive. She’s still alive. I’m very happy. I’m very happy,” the emotional partner said.
A young 21-year-old witness, Anthony Griggs, said he was walking back home from work when he heard “two big bangs.”
A few moments later, the building came crashing down.
“A couple of bricks fell by my foot. I got hit by one, but it’s ok. I’m ok,” he told the outlet.
Officials warned that the dangerous rescue operation could continue for days
Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined city officials at the media briefing on Wednesday and addressed the “devastating collapse.”
“We know that it affects the lives of many New Yorkers who live here on Flatbush,” he said.
“As we rebuild, the City of New York will stand alongside those impacted at every step of the way.”
“This is going to be a problem moving forward,” one commented online
