BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Eight people, including two children, are dead following a catastrophic building collapse in Brooklyn, an event that has plunged the city into mourning as rescue crews continue a desperate, rain-soaked search for survivors.
More than 20 hours after the structure at 1321 Flatbush Ave. crumbled into a pile of mangled concrete and debris, FDNY personnel were still combing through the wreckage. Despite the grim discovery of eight fatalities, officials maintained that the operation remains a search-and-rescue mission rather than a recovery effort.
“We will be here until we are 100% sure there are no more people trapped,” FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore told reporters at the scene on Thursday. “To be clear, we have not shifted from rescue to recovery. We are still in the search-and-rescue phase.”
The human toll of the disaster has been severe. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that six of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others succumbed to their injuries after being transported to local hospitals. Among the six deceased adults were two construction workers who were present at the building when it fell.
Beyond those lost, 18 people sustained injuries in the collapse, including four firefighters and 14 civilians. At least one person remains in critical condition.
Mayor Mamdani, who spent time earlier in the day visiting survivors at the hospital, struggled to find words for the scope of the tragedy.
“This has been a very dark evening and morning for our city,” Mamdani said. “We are mourning too many people who we loved, and as we grieve and as we rebuild, we will do so together as one city.”
The site remains a complex and dangerous landscape as crews navigate the instability of the debris pile under persistent rain. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, but the immediate focus for city officials is the safety of the site and the search for anyone who may still be trapped beneath the rubble.
Commissioner Bonsignore emphasized the commitment of her department to the families affected by the collapse.
“This is a devastating tragedy for New York, and our prayers are with those who are recovering in the hospital and those who have died,” she said. “The FDNY mourns with those families, and we promise, with everything we have, we will not stop working until everyone is rescued or recovered.”
As the search continues into its second day, the neighborhood around Flatbush Avenue remains cordoned off. The city has vowed to provide further updates as the FDNY works to clear the wreckage, hoping to bring answers to a city reeling from a night of unthinkable loss.
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