What caused the deadly Brooklyn building collapse that killed eight?

International

A DEAFENING boom shattered the afternoon calm in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighbourhood on Wednesday as a three-storey building came crashing down, killing eight people, injuring 18 others and triggering an extensive rescue operation.

The structure collapsed at around 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT), sending debris into an adjacent construction pit where workers were carrying out excavation. More than 250 firefighters responded, working through the night to search for people trapped beneath the rubble.

Authorities said six victims, including two children, were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others died in hospital. Two of those killed were construction workers. Four firefighters were among the injured, and one victim remained in critical condition on Thursday.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani paid tribute to the victims, describing them as members of the community, including parents, children, young families and immigrants from different countries.

“They were our friends and our neighbours. Our parents and our children,” he said in a BBC report.

Two fatalities were Ecuadorian nationals, according to The New York Times. Ecuadorian Consul General Gicela Andrade identified them as Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo and Gabriel Ariolfo Siguencia. She said Caguana Cosquillo’s remains would be returned to Ecuador for burial.

Mamdani also recounted how construction workers who narrowly escaped the collapse returned to help pull victims from the debris. Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore praised the emergency responders, describing their actions as “incredibly heroic”.

Bonsignore said recovery operations would continue until everyone had been accounted for, despite heavy rain and falling temperatures. More rain and possible severe storms were forecast, potentially complicating the operation.

Meanwhile, investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the collapse, including excavation work at the neighbouring property. The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, constructed in the 1930s, contained apartments and a store and was occupied when it came down.

The adjacent development, approved for 64 residential units and a ground-floor grocery store, had active excavation and foundation permits. Developer Robert Fischman has been identified as the person behind the project.

Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said no building code violations had been reported at the collapsed property before the incident. He added that the developer had links to at least 100 other city properties, which are also being checked.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said authorities were examining whether criminal conduct contributed to the disaster.

“We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy,” he said in a statement posted on X.

Officials have not established whether the construction work caused or contributed to the collapse, and no charges have been announced.

Witnesses described hearing a loud boom followed by screams and clouds of dust. One man told the BBC he had delivered an Amazon package to an apartment in the building just minutes before it collapsed.

Among those rescued was a six-months-pregnant woman. Her husband expressed relief to CBS News New York, confirming that she had survived.(MyTVCebu)