What to Know About the Deadly Building Collapse in Brooklyn

A three-story apartment building collapsed in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn on Wednesday, killing at least eight people and injuring 17 others, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

Emergency workers searched the rubble, which had fallen largely in an adjacent construction site, well into Thursday morning. Officials said they did not immediately know how many people had been in the building, at 1321 Flatbush Avenue.

Mr. Mamdani said that the Department of Buildings and law enforcement officials would investigate the cause of the collapse.

“There are no words for a loss of this magnitude,” Mr. Mamdani said on social media on Thursday morning. “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”

The collapse occurred while excavation was taking place at a large construction site on Bedford Avenue where the city had approved plans for a three-story building.

What happened?

At 4:01 p.m. Wednesday, there was a 911 call about a building collapse at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, Mr. Mamdani said at a news conference on Wednesday.

Canine units, drones, helicopters and fire trucks were used in the search, alongside excavation machinery, in a search and rescue operation that continued into Thursday. The adjoining wall of an adjacent building was sheared off by the collapse, leaving a staircase, bedroom and closets exposed to the open air.

Why did the building collapse?

It’s not clear yet. The Department of Buildings said that its engineers were conducting structural stability inspections of nearby buildings.

The building that collapsed was built in 1930 and had four apartments, according to city records. It is in the Little Haiti section of Flatbush, on an avenue lined with shops.

The Department of Buildings said the developers of a construction site adjacent to the collapsed building had an active permit for excavation and foundation work on the lot. The department’s commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, told reporters that workers were excavating that site at the time of the collapse.

A full stop-work order has now been issued for the site, the department said.

What do we know about the victims and the rescue effort?

The authorities have not released the names of the people who were killed or injured. Multiple people at the site of the collapsed building said that they were awaiting news of loved ones whom they presumed had been inside.

What happens now?

The authorities are encouraging people who are unable to reach someone they believe to be affected by the collapse to call 311. People outside the city can call 212-639-9675.

NYC Emergency Management and the American Red Cross had opened a reception center for affected and displaced residents at the Flatbush YMCA, at 1401 Flatbush Avenue.

Sharon Otterman, Ishani Desai, Sarah Chatta and Ana Ley contributed reporting.