At least one person died and four others were critically injured when a three-storey building collapsed beside a construction site in Brooklyn on Wednesday, leaving firefighters searching through rubble for people trapped beneath the wreckage.

Six additional people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, according to the New York City Fire Department. The Associated Press reporting, carried by CBC, described a rescue effort that continued as darkness fell over the site in New York City’s Flatbush section.

Firefighters were called around 4 p.m. News helicopter footage showed dozens of rescuers moving through the debris. One group concentrated on a particular area and appeared to use a saw to cut through the wreckage. Aerial video also showed firefighters pulling at least one person from the rubble and carrying them away on a stretcher.

The collapsed building stood at the edge of a lot where a one-storey structure had been demolished for a construction project. Excavation was underway at the site. When the neighbouring building fell, bricks and wood filled the construction pit.

An adjoining building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but a wall had been torn away. The damage exposed rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets still filled with clothing.

At ground level, firefighters dug by hand and tossed aside pieces of debris while a drone hovered above the site. Search dogs were also used to look for survivors. As daylight faded, rescuers illuminated their work area with flashlights.

The AP report said phone and email messages seeking comment had been left with the architect, property owner and general contractor identified in city records as associated with the construction project.

Sources