Two people were killed and 17 others were injured after the three-story Flatbush building fell beside an excavation site.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — Rescue crews searched through piles of unstable rubble into the night after a three-story building collapsed in Brooklyn on Wednesday, killing at least two people and injuring 17 others as firefighters worked to determine whether anyone remained trapped.
The collapse happened shortly after 4 p.m. at 1321 Flatbush Ave. in the Flatbush neighborhood, where the building fell toward an adjoining construction and excavation site at 2625 Bedford Ave. Authorities said the cause had not been determined. The search remained a rescue operation as crews carefully worked through debris that officials said could shift and endanger both victims and emergency personnel.
Four of the injured were in critical condition, according to officials. Seven children were among the people treated after the collapse, and a firefighter suffered minor injuries. Officials said they did not yet have a firm count of how many residents, workers or other people may have been inside or near the structures when the building came down.
About 250 firefighters and police officers took part in the emergency response, using search dogs, drones, power tools and other equipment while also digging by hand. The unstable wreckage slowed the operation because rescuers had to secure sections of debris before moving deeper into the collapse zone. Officials said completing a full search could take several days.
Firefighters rescued several people from the rubble in the hours after the collapse. In one rescue captured by local television cameras, crews reached a conscious woman after breaking through collapsed material and brought her out on a stretcher shortly before 6:30 p.m. Other survivors also were removed from the wreckage as emergency workers continued searching for possible voids where people could be trapped.
The building had commercial space at street level and apartments above it. Part of the structure fell into the neighboring lot, where excavation work was underway for a new development. An adjoining building remained standing, but damage to a shared wall exposed portions of its interior. City Department of Buildings inspectors were examining the site and nearby structures for additional hazards.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the incident a “devastating collapse” during a nighttime briefing. Officials said emergency crews had arrived quickly and immediately began pulling people from the debris. Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said authorities were still working to establish a complete accounting of everyone who may have been at the property when it collapsed.
The relationship, if any, between the excavation work and the collapse had not been established. Investigators were expected to review construction activity, the condition of the building and other evidence as they worked to determine what caused the structure to fail. Authorities had not announced a finding on responsibility as of early Thursday.
Streets around Flatbush and Bedford avenues remained closed while rescue and structural operations continued. Search teams planned to keep working through the debris as officials sought to confirm whether anyone was still missing and investigators began examining the cause of the collapse.
Author note: Last updated November 12, 2026.