A house collapsed in Brooklyn, New York, killing 8 and injuring 18. 7 children were injured because they were at home on holidays.

new yorkbrooklyn (brooklyn ) A three-story apartment building in Flatbush collapsed on the afternoon of the 11th, and the entire building fell into the excavation pit of the adjacent construction site.new york city The fire department announced that the search and rescue had ended at 3:37 pm on the 12th. Eight people died and 18 were injured in the accident, including seven children and three firefighters.

The collapsed building was located at 1321 Flatbush Avenue, near the intersection of Bedford Avenue, and collapsed at 4:01 pm on the 11th. According to city government information, the building has four apartments, and the first floor is a commercial space. Over the past ten years, it has included medical clothing stores, tax preparation services, and other businesses. The incident occurred on Veterans Day and public schools were on holiday, resulting in several children being injured.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “There are no words to describe such an enormous loss. My thoughts are with the families, relatives and friends of the victims, the injured, and all those who are mourning today.” The city’s building department will work with law enforcement agencies to investigate the cause of the collapse.

At the time of the incident, workers were excavating adjacent vacant land at 2625 Bedford Avenue in preparation for construction of a new building, said City Buildings Director Ahmed Tigani. The Building Bureau reported that the construction site has valid excavation and foundation work permits. A blanket stop-work order has been issued at the site and all construction permits have been suspended. Authorities will determine the cause of the accident and inspect the building and surrounding construction sites. On the morning of the 12th, dozens of Building Bureau personnel were on site to investigate and review relevant records and construction site conditions.

The fire department revealed that a fire engine was passing through the intersection at the time of the incident, so emergency personnel reached the scene in less than a minute. When firefighters saw dust and smoke in the sky, they initially thought there was a fire, but later discovered that the building had collapsed. When additional security forces arrived, many people were stranded at the scene. During the nearly 24-hour rescue, officials mobilized more than 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel, as well as search and rescue dogs, drones, helicopters, fire trucks and excavation equipment.

John Esposito, chief commander of the fire department, said that the search and rescue operation was very complex and time-consuming. Rescue workers had to crawl in and out of the collapsed structure and find the cracks one by one. He described the dust-covered search and rescue workers as “reminding me of search and rescue at the World Trade Center.” He also warned that a nearby building was in danger of collapsing on the evening of the 11th. Firefighters intentionally allowed a portion of the structure to collapse first. Although it was determined that the building would not collapse completely, several pieces might still fall one after another.

1323 Flatbush Avenue, located near the collapsed building, was also affected. The entire side wall was torn apart, exposing the stairs, bedrooms and clothes kept in closets. The city is currently conducting structural safety inspections on nearby buildings.

As of press time, New York City officials have not announced the identities of the victims, but according to the Associated Press, the Consulate General of Ecuador in New York has confirmed the identities of two of the country’s citizens, including a 26-year-old construction worker. ABC quoted state representative Rodneyse Hermelin as saying that some of the casualties may not have legal immigration status, and their relatives fear for the future fate of the survivors.