Brooklyn building collapse death toll rises to six as firefighters continue rescue work in rubble

The Story

Firefighters in Brooklyn removed the bodies of four more people early Thursday after a three-storey building collapsed at the edge of a construction site, bringing the death toll to six.

The additional deaths were confirmed by the New York City Fire Department; two other deaths were announced Wednesday. At least 17 people were hospitalized with injuries, including four in critical condition.

Rescuers continued digging through the debris to find others who may have been trapped. Crews worked overnight with scores of firefighters and police officers using pickaxes and power saws to create openings in the wreckage, and they used dogs to sniff for survivors.

Firefighters also used orange buckets to remove debris from the rubble piles while trying to reach people trapped beneath twisted wood and brick.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference Wednesday that the situation involved “precarious wreckage” and that this type of rescue was “exactly what the FDNY trains for.”

The building collapse happened Wednesday afternoon. New York City’s buildings commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, said construction workers were excavating an empty lot next door for a new building when the collapse occurred.

The collapsed structure was a mixed-use building, with apartments above ground-floor commercial space. Much of the rubble ended up in a large pile inside the construction pit, and a neighbouring building that shared a wall remained standing but with its wall shorn off, exposing rooms inside.

Mamdani said about 250 firefighters were working the scene. Authorities said seven of the casualties were children, without specifying whether any were among the dead.

Heavy rain was forecast for Thursday afternoon, and it was not immediately known how that might affect search efforts.

The cause of the collapse was under investigation. Phone and email messages seeking comment were left Wednesday with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as being associated with the construction project.