Brooklyn building collapse kills 8 and hurts 17 as excavation ran next door; cause not yet found

Eight people were killed and 17 others injured when a three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn collapsed just after 4 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, CBS New York reported, citing officials. ABC7 New York reported that a city official said after 8 a.m. Thursday that everyone reported missing had been located and removed from the rubble. The cause has not been determined.

What officials have said

The New York Police Department said the building was completely collapsed and was occupied at the time, and that the side of the neighboring building at 1323 Flatbush Avenue was torn off. According to CBS, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said seven children were among the casualties. Officials have not said how many of them were among the dead.

More than 250 firefighters and emergency medical workers responded. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito said a fire company in the area arrived in under a minute. ABC7 reports the injured include at least three firefighters, and that two of the injured were in critical condition. Searchers were moving to a "grapple operation" to remove debris and search it in the street.

The construction site next door

The collapsed building fell into an open site at 2625 Bedford Avenue, where workers were excavating when it happened, according to ABC7. The Department of Buildings said the developers held an active permit for excavation and foundation work, and a full stop-work order has been issued while investigators work. CBS reports plans had been approved for a three-story building there.

Records are mixed. CBS and ABC News report the Department of Buildings issued a violation to a demolition contractor at the Bedford Avenue lot in April for continuing demolition despite a stop-work order, and that violation is now listed as resolved. Realtor.com News reports 1321 Flatbush was built in 1930 and has 98 recorded city violations dating to 1972, 11 of them this year, including unsafe electrical wiring. ABC's sister station found no building violations on the site itself. Realtor.com also reports that another permit application for a nine-story building on the lot drew a stop-work order. Nothing published so far ties any of these records to the collapse.

Construction safety expert Glenn Corbett of John Jay College, who has not investigated the site, told ABC News that digging next to older buildings always raises stability questions, and that the temporary supports around the pit are often a focus of investigations. That is general context, not a finding.

The Brooklyn District Attorney's office, the Department of Buildings and police have opened a joint inquiry into whether criminal negligence or code violations played a part, Realtor.com reports.

What it means for neighbors and nearby businesses

• Residents. Neighbors of 1323 Flatbush were evacuated. The Red Cross and NYC Emergency Management opened a reception center at the Flatbush YMCA, 1401 Flatbush Avenue, and ABC7 says 11 adults and two children from six households had registered for help, including temporary lodging. Anyone unable to reach someone who may have been affected is asked to call 311, or 212-639-9675 from outside the city, per CBS.
• Getting around. Flatbush Avenue was closed between Clarendon Road and Bedford Avenue, and police are asking drivers to avoid the area. Expect closures for days, as Esposito said the search would take "several days."
• Shops and renters nearby. Closures cut foot traffic. Tenants and owners with damaged or inaccessible space should photograph conditions, keep records of lost days, and ask their insurer and landlord in writing what coverage applies. Policies differ on closures ordered by authorities, so check the wording rather than assuming.
• Anyone next to a dig. The Department of Buildings is inspecting nearby buildings. Owners next to excavation can ask the department about the permits and inspections on file for a neighboring site through its public records.

Officials have not released the victims' names or ages, and we are not reporting personal details. We will update this story when investigators say what caused the collapse.

Sources: CBS New York; ABC7 New York; ABC News; Realtor.com News. Figures are from officials and may change. This is news reporting, not investment or insurance advice.