NEW YORK — Rescue workers continued to search for survivors in “extremely dangerous conditions” at the site of a collapsed building in Brooklyn, New York, with more bodies pulled out from the rubble early Thursday, bringing the death toll to eight.
Authorities in New York City said at least 17 others were hurt when the three-story residential building on the edge of a construction site in the borough’s Flatbush neighborhood collapsed at about 4 pm on Wednesday.
Four people were critically injured, officials said, and at least seven children were among the casualties. It is not clear if any of the fatalities are minors.
Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, said in a post on X on Thursday morning that he was “heartbroken” by the tragedy. “Eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives and at least 17 have been injured, including three firefighters,” he wrote.
In his post on X, he went on: “There are no words for a loss of this magnitude. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”
Speaking at the scene earlier, Mamdani said: “I want to ask New Yorkers to please take a moment to pray for those who passed away today and all of those who are mourning their loss, as well as for a fast and full recovery for all those who were injured.”
The New York City Fire Department said an unknown number of people are missing.
Seven children were among those affected by the collapse, New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. She did not say whether those killed were children or adults.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
New York’s buildings commissioner Ahmed Tigani said that construction workers were excavating an empty lot next door for a new building when the collapse occurred.
Much of the rubble from the collapse was left in a huge pile inside the construction pit.
Another building that shared a wall with the structure saw its wall torn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets.
Footage from news helicopters showed hundreds of rescuers scouring the debris for survivors, while fire crews were seen pulling someone from the rubble and evacuating them on a stretcher.
As darkness fell on Wednesday night, crews deployed sniffer dogs and used flashlights to illuminate the area where they worked.
“The units are proposing dangerous and heroic work,” Ms Bonsignore said.
John Esposito, the fire service’s chief of department, said crews encountered the scene while returning from another emergency — and immediately took action.
“We continue to search any void spaces looking for any victims, and we’ve removed a few from that collapse area,” he told a news conference.
Source: Saudi Gazette