Two Killed, 17 Injured After New York Residential Building Collapses
- A three-storey residential building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, collapsed into a nearby excavation pit on Wednesday, 11 November 2026
- Four of the 17 injured were hospitalised in critical condition as rescue teams with dogs and drones searched the rubble
- Fire Commissioner John Esposito warned that the recovery operation could continue for several days
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Source: Getty Images
UNITED STATES - A three-storey building in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, New York, collapsed into an adjacent construction site on Wednesday afternoon, 11 November 2026, killing at least two people and leaving 17 others injured.
The collapse occurred shortly after 4pm local time. The building fell into an excavation pit where a neighbouring structure had already been demolished, sending bricks, timber and large amounts of debris crashing into the site below.
Rescue teams search the rubble
Emergency crews deployed rescue dogs, drones and specialised cutting equipment as they combed through the wreckage for anyone still trapped. Fire Commissioner John Esposito confirmed it was a complete collapse of the residential building into the pit, with earthworks actively underway next door at the time.
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Of the 17 people injured, four were taken to hospital in critical condition. Commissioner Esposito cautioned that the recovery effort was far from over, saying it could stretch on for several more days.
The collapse also tore open the side of an adjoining residential building, leaving interior rooms exposed and raising urgent questions about the structural integrity of surrounding properties. New York's Department of Buildings dispatched inspectors to assess whether neighbouring structures remained safe.
Pregnant woman pulled from the debris
Amid the chaos, one moment offered a brief sense of relief. A man who had been waiting anxiously at the scene, desperate for word about his pregnant wife, learned that she had been pulled alive from the rubble. Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people remain unaccounted for.
The cause of the collapse has not been established, and investigators have not indicated what role, if any, the nearby excavation work may have played.
See X post of the rescue here:
Temple building collapses killing four
In similar news, Briefly News reported that a four-storey building in Redcliffe, north of Durban, collapsed killing four people.Three of the bodies were recovered from the rubble on Saturday afternoon, 13 December 2025. The building at the New Ahobilam Temple of Protection collapsed on a Friday afternoon,triggering ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson offered his condolences to the families and pledged full support to the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Disaster Management teams during the operations.
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Source: Briefly News
