2 dead, 17 hurt as Brooklyn building collapses

At least two people are dead and 17 others injured after a three-story building collapsed into an adjacent construction excavation in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, New York City officials said.

The collapse happened at the intersection of Flatbush and Bedford avenues in the Flatbush neighbourhood, according to fire officials. The first 911 call came in at 4:01 p.m. local time, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the two deaths at a press briefing. FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said four of the injured were in critical condition, 12 were in stable condition and one firefighter had minor injuries.

Bonsignore said the victims include seven children, but she did not specify whether any of them were among those killed.

“This was a major technical response,” Bonsignore said. “Multiple people from the building and a construction site were trapped.” She called it a “prolonged operation” and said officials expect there to be more victims. It is unclear how many people remain missing.

The wall of a neighbouring three-story building was also sheared off, exposing apartments, officials said. Search and rescue crews, including dogs, worked in the debris through the evening. At least two people were pulled out on stretchers, and a woman was rescued more than two hours into the operation as night fell.

Mamdani called the effort “incredibly challenging” as crews worked through “precarious wreckage,” and urged people to stay away from the area.

Excavation work had been under way at the construction site, which was approved for a three-story building, officials said. Plans for a nine-story, mixed-use building there had not yet been approved. The cause of the collapse is under investigation by the city’s Department of Buildings and law enforcement, authorities said.

Department of Buildings inspectors are on scene assisting with recovery and checking the structural stability of nearby buildings. City Coun. Farah Louis, who represents Flatbush, called images from the site heartbreaking and said her team was working to connect affected families with support.

Figures have changed through the evening and are expected to change again as the search continues. Canada News Media will update this story when officials release further information, including any confirmed Canadian connection.

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Sources: ABC News, CNN, The Washington Times, reporting on statements by New York City officials.