Emergency rescue crews concluded search and recovery operations at 3:37 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, confirming eight fatalities and 18 injuries after a three-story mixed-use apartment building collapsed in Brooklyn's Flatbush neighborhood. Two children, ages nine and ten, and two construction workers were among the dead, prompting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to order emergency inspections across 100 affiliated construction sites.
According to Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore, the structure at 1321 Flatbush Avenue gave way at 4:01 p.m. Wednesday, crumbling directly into an active excavation pit on an adjacent lot at 2625 Bedford Avenue. Firefighters arrived within one minute of the initial emergency call and rotated through the night using power saws, pickaxes, and heavy grapplers amid pouring rain. Officials confirmed six victims died at the scene and two died at area hospitals, while 14 civilians and four firefighters suffered injuries, leaving one person in critical condition.
Police released the identities of all eight victims on Thursday, noting the adults ranged in age from 22 to 31 and included residents from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Trinidad. Several adjacent apartment walls were sheared off during the collapse, exposing bedrooms and closets inside neighboring residences. Addressing reporters during a Thursday afternoon news briefing near the collapse zone, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated: "If there is anyone, or any entity, operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable." Mamdani directed the Department of Buildings to inspect 100 citywide sites linked to five firms involved with the project. The collapsed apartment building carried 25 open hazardous violations, including inadequate sprinkler water supply and exposed electrical wiring.
