At least two people were killed and 17 were hospitalized after a three-storey building collapsed beside a construction site in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, The Associated Press reported. Four of those hospitalized were in critical condition.

Firefighters continued searching the wreckage into the evening, pulling survivors from beneath twisted wood and brick. Officials said it was unclear whether anyone remained trapped and that search-and-rescue operations would continue into the night.

About 250 firefighters were working at the scene, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. Crews used pickaxes and power saws to open paths through the debris, while others dug by hand. Search dogs helped look for survivors, and firefighters used flashlights as darkness fell.

At about 6:30 p.m., rescuers lifted a woman who was alive and moving from a hole in the rubble. They placed her on a stretcher and rushed her to an ambulance. More people were pulled from beneath the debris as the evening continued.

Authorities said seven of the casualties were children, but did not specify whether any children were among those killed. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.

The cause remained under investigation. Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said construction workers had been excavating an empty lot next door when the building fell. Officials had not established what caused the collapse.

The collapsed structure contained apartments above ground-floor commercial space. Much of its debris landed in the neighbouring construction pit. An adjoining building remained standing, but a wall had been torn away, exposing rooms and closets containing clothing.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore described the rescue work as “dangerous and perilous,” saying every move was choreographed amid the unstable wreckage.

Resident Anderson Velez told the New York Post that his wife called him at work after becoming trapped with their children, ages seven and two. He said he later learned all three had been rescued alive.

AP reported that messages seeking comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records for the neighbouring construction project.

Sources