Brooklyn: rescue effort ends after the collapse; 8 dead, including two children, and 100 sites under review

The rescue effort at the collapsed building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, ended on Thursday afternoon, almost 24 hours after the collapse, when the Fire Department (FDNY) confirmed that no more victims remained under the rubble. Eight people died, including two children.

The children were identified as Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10, and Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, 9, cousins, according to police sources cited by the New York Post. The three-story building, built in 1930 and home to several immigrant families, collapsed on Wednesday at around 4:00 p.m. onto a neighboring excavation site. At least 18 people were injured, including four firefighters, according to officials.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered a review of five companies linked to the adjacent construction site and about 100 properties connected to those companies across the city. “If there is anyone or any entity operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable,” the mayor said.

Three neighboring buildings — at 1323, 1325 and 1327 Flatbush Avenue — were ordered vacated as a precaution, and the city and the Red Cross are assisting displaced residents from a center at the Flatbush YMCA. The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, with excavation at the neighboring lot as the leading theory.

Photo: New York Post

Source: Reuters