Brooklyn building collapse: Two dead, 10 injured as firefighters search for survivors

New York: The death toll in the collapse of a three-storey building in Brooklyn has risen to two, with several others injured, as firefighters continued searching through the rubble for survivors on Wednesday.

The building collapsed at the edge of a construction site in the Flatbush section of the borough around 4 pm, trapping several people beneath the debris.

At least four people were rushed to hospital in critical condition, while six others sustained minor injuries, according to officials.

Firefighters used their hands, power saws and other equipment to cut through the debris. Rescue teams also deployed dogs to sniff out survivors, while drones hovered over the site to assist the operation.

At around 6.30 pm, rescuers pulled a dust-covered person alive from a hole they had dug into the rubble. The survivor was carried out on a stretcher and rushed to a waiting ambulance.

The collapsed structure stood beside a lot where a single-storey building had been demolished for a construction project. Excavation work was underway at the site when the three-storey building came down, filling the construction pit with bricks and wood.

An adjoining building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing. However, part of its wall had been torn away, exposing rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothes.

As darkness fell, firefighters continued the search using flashlights to illuminate the debris. Rescue workers were also seen manually removing chunks of rubble.

"As emergency operations continue, please join me in holding our neighbours and the members of this community in our hearts," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement posted on social media.

Phone and email messages seeking comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as being associated with the construction project.