Brooklyn building collapse killed 2 children and 6 adults, mayor says

Brooklyn building collapse killed 2 children and 6 adults, mayor says Advertisement Updated: 12:34 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ The Associated Press Brooklyn building collapse killed 2 children and 6 adults, mayor says Updated: 12:34 PM EST Nov 12, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ The Associated Press At least eight people died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site, New York City’s mayor said Thursday, as emergency workers searched for others still trapped. Video above: Firefighters dig through rubble in Brooklyn building collapse Advertisement Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday that two of the eight people who died were children, and two were construction workers. Six of the victims died on the scene, while the other two died of their injuries at nearby hospitals. The fire department is still considering the site a rescue operation, officials said Thursday, as it removes larger pieces of debris. Search crews peered into crevices in the rubble, pulling out victims and at least one survivor through the overnight hours. At least 18 people were injured, including four firefighters, Mamdani said. It's not clear how many more people might remain trapped. Most of the injured people taken to hospitals were in stable condition, he said, but one was in critical condition. The building gave way Wednesday afternoon while construction workers were digging at a neighboring lot, a city official said. The cause was still under investigation. “We heard the boom and we all rushed outside and saw smoke and dust everywhere,” said Brigitte Anama, a hairstylist at a salon across the street. Customers and stylists jumped up and ran onto the sidewalk that was engulfed in dust. Anama saw emergency workers pulling people from the site, including what appeared to be a child. “People were saying ‘Pray for the baby, pray for the baby,’” she said. Video below: Pregnant woman rescued from Brooklyn building collapse "Construction workers who had only barely survived themselves turned back and dug victims out of the rubble," Mamdani said Thursday. "People are alive today because of their heroism yesterday." This was the second high-profile structural problem with a building in New York in the past five months. In July, several buildings in Manhattan were evacuated after support columns buckled inside a skyscraper that was formerly the headquarters of Pfizer. Rescuers with dogs searched through the night Flatbush Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Brooklyn, remained at a standstill Thursday morning as firefighters picked through the rubble. Hundreds of firefighters and police officers wielding pickaxes and power saws worked through the night, clambering over the rubble, punching holes in the ruins to pull out dust-covered survivors. Rescue dogs sniffed piles of twisted wood and brick that were dotted with brightly colored clothing and vinyl record albums. Two excavators removed large chunks of debris. Firefighters filled buckets with debris, passing them down a line. Heavy rain was forecast for Thursday afternoon, and Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore cautioned that could hinder search-and-rescue operations. “It'll turn to mud,” she told WNYW-TV, vowing firefighters would work through the rain if necessary. Much of the collapsed building, comprising apartments sitting atop ground-floor commercial space, wound up in a huge pile inside the adjacent construction pit. Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with shoes and clothing. On Wednesday night, firefighters pulled a pregnant woman from the rubble, hoisted her up on a stretcher and rushed her to a waiting ambulance. Other survivors were rescued as the night wore on. Bonsignore said the rescue teams were performing “dangerous and perilous” work. “Every move is choreographed,” she said. Man identifies his brother as one of those killed Jose Luis Caguana, 26, who was working at the construction site, died in the collapse, his brother told WNBC-TV. He was an immigrant from Ecuador who had been in the U.S. for about six years, Carlos Caguana said. He had a pregnant wife and a young child. “Her husband has passed away; he was the sole provider for the family. Now that he’s gone, she is going through an immense amount of pain. She is in a very bad state right now — she’s completely overwhelmed and can’t even find the words to speak,” Caguana said. The surrounding blocks are tightly packed with mostly older brick buildings and a few newly built apartment complexes. A mix of Caribbean and Mexican restaurants reflects the diversity of the neighborhood. Novella Spence, who lives across the street, said the screams of her children woke her up from a nap as the building collapsed. They rushed to a window in time to see a wall crumple into the construction pit. “It came down like boom, boom!” she said. “I was like ‘Oh my God. What happened. How could this happen?’” City found violations at the construction site earlier this year The city Department of Buildings is investigating the cause. New York City’s buildings commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, said Wednesday that construction workers were excavating the empty lot next door when the building buckled. The architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records have not responded to phone and email messages seeking comment. Mamdani said the city's Department of Buildings had identified five entities associated with the construction site, which were also associated with 100 other sites across the city. He said they would start "sweeps" of other sites across city connected with the entities. City officials said a stop work order was issued in March after inspectors concluded the building next door was being demolished without adequate overhead protection such as netting to shield neighboring buildings, the department said in an emailed statement. In April, inspectors found that the demolition work had resumed in violation of the stop work order, the department said. Work was allowed to continue in May after the problems were corrected, it said. The project has active permits for excavation and foundation work. 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