At least two people have died and more than 17 others are injured after a building in New York City collapsed into an open construction site, according to officials. The incident sparked a massive search-and-rescue operation, with more than 250 first responders at the scene in Brooklyn, trying to find survivors who may have been trapped under the rubble of the three-storey building.

Rescue Efforts Underway

Hours after the collapse, aerial video showed firefighters pulling a survivor, covered in dust, out of the debris on a stretcher. Authorities are yet to determine what caused the sudden collapse at about 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday. The rescue mission has been described as “extremely dangerous” by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.

She added that people from the collapsed building and also the construction site had been trapped. “Members have been working methodically and haven’t stopped since they arrived this afternoon,” Bonsignore said. Some pictures of the collapsed building, on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, show an entire side of it gone, with bedrooms and closets exposed. Among the debris, smashed concrete and twisted metal, are household items and clothes.

Mayor Praises Emergency Responders

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined emergency responders at the scene, praising them for their rapid response. They “arrived in under a minute and have spent hours working in dangerous and highly technical conditions to rescue New Yorkers,” he later wrote on X. Rescue operations began around 4pm on Wednesday, while Mamdani shared updates about rescue operations on X, warning people to avoid the area.

According to the FDNY, four victims are in critical condition, 12 are stable, and one firefighter is being treated for minor injuries. The FDNY has deployed a drone to locate additional victims. The building toppled into a nearby construction site, trapping residents and construction workers inside, said Lillian Bonsignore. The construction workers were “digging down,” said FDNY Chief John Esposito, according to CNN.

Investigation and Support for Victims

A pregnant woman was rescued from the site. New York City’s Emergency Management set up a help centre for those impacted by the collapse at the local Flatbush YMCA. New York City’s Police Department was patrolling the site and emergency medical services personnel were working alongside rescue crews.

“The units are performing dangerous and heroic work,” Bonsignore said. “They encounter dangerous and perilous conditions. The risk of disrupting the piles by moving too quickly there … can have a detrimental consequence.” Bonsignore added that the collapse will require a “prolonged operation,” with the cause of the building’s collapse still under investigation.

The Brooklyn building was built in 1930, city records show, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News. The collapse of the three-storey mixed-use building occurred in a Flatbush area neighbourhood, which is home to a predominantly Black and Afro-Caribbean community.