At least 2 killed as building collapses in New York

At least two people were killed and more than 17 others injured after a three-storey building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York City, on Wednesday (November 11).

The building collapsed at around 4PM local time, triggering an immediate rescue operation. More than 250 emergency responders are working at the scene, searching the rubble for anyone who may still be trapped.

Hours after the collapse, aerial footage showed firefighters carrying a dust-covered man out of the debris on a stretcher.

The cause of the sudden collapse remains unknown, and authorities are investigating the incident.

New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the rescue operation as “extremely dangerous”. She said people had been trapped both inside the collapsed building and at an adjacent construction site.

Bonsignore said rescue workers had been following a systematic approach since arriving at the scene on Wednesday afternoon. She added that the operation had not been halted.

Images of the collapsed building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn were released by several media outlets. The photographs showed that one side of the structure had completely caved in, exposing bedrooms and wardrobes to the outside. Broken concrete, twisted metal, clothing and household belongings were scattered across the debris.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited the scene to observe the rescue operation and praised the emergency responders for their swift response.

In a post on social media platform X, Mamdani said rescue workers had reached the scene in less than a minute and had continued working for hours under dangerous and complex conditions to rescue trapped New Yorkers.

- MaT