A four-story Brooklyn building collapsed Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring at least 19.
The property, at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, collapsed around 4:30 p.m., colliding with an adjacent building, according to the New York Times, and fell into a hole caused by building construction next door. Many people were reportedly trapped in the rubble. As of 8 p.m., the FDNY said rescuers were still pulling people out, and not all residents had been accounted for.
One person was pronounced dead, four people were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries and others suffered minor injuries, per the Times.
“We’ve seen a husband who was desperately waiting to see if his wife would be pulled out of the rubble, who was also six months pregnant,” Council Member Farah Louis told Gothamist. “They did find her, and she is in critical condition. It’s just a horrific scene for our community and the constituents that live in this building.”
The cause of the collapse remains unknown. A Department of Buildings spokesperson confirmed to Gothamist that the agency was on the site and investigating the cause of the tragedy.
The collapsed building contained four apartment units; the building under construction next door, at 2625 Bedford Avenue, was formerly a one-story property being converted into a nine-unit apartment complex, according to the Times.
In March, the Department of Buildings had ordered the next-door building to halt construction, but a reinspection found the entire building had already been razed, resulting in a $10,000 fine.
The property at 1321 Flatbush Avenue is owned by Isolag Realty Corp., according to property records. Olufemi Falade signed the deed transferring the property to the company in 2024.
This comes four months after a residential conversion project in Midtown was evacuated due to buckling columns, which resulted in no injuries.
This is a developing story.
