Eight killed, 17 injured in New York building collapse (VIDEOS)

At least eight people were killed and 17 others injured when a three-story building collapsed into an adjacent construction site in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday. Three firefighters were among the injured.

Rescue crews continued searching the rubble on Thursday for additional victims who could still be trapped. Six bodies were recovered from the debris and two people died in the hospital, according to ABC7. At least two of the injured remained in critical condition.

Officials said the operation could take several days due to unstable conditions and the risk of a secondary collapse.

The collapse occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Flatbush Avenue, near the intersection with Bedford Avenue. The three-story building housed a ground-floor store and apartments above. It fell into an adjacent excavation site where a one-story building had previously been demolished.

Workers were excavating the neighboring site when the collapse occurred, officials said. Developers had proposed a nine-story residential and commercial building, but those plans had not yet been approved. City officials said approval had been granted for a three-story building.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, and officials have not established whether the excavation contributed to the disaster.

According to local media reports, witnesses described hearing an explosion-like noise as the building collapsed, sending thick clouds of dust across the street. One nearby resident compared the scene to the September 11 attacks. The husband of a pregnant woman trapped beneath the rubble celebrated after firefighters pulled her out alive.

More than 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel have been working at the scene. “This will be a prolonged operation,” New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said.