- Published
Eight people have died and 18 more were injured after a three-storey building collapsed in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
Witnesses described hearing a loud boom and seeing dust in the air as the building came down and fell into a construction pit where people were working on Wednesday.
asserted
people → publish → Wednesday
The building - which contained apartments and a store - was adjacent to an active construction site.
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which → contain → site
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, described a harrowing scene, saying workers "who had only barely survived themselves turned back and dug victims out of the rubble".
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who → describe → rubble
The city's fire commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore, said firefighters were on the scene within minutes and called their actions "incredibly heroic".
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firefighters → say → actions
Speaking on Thursday, she said fire crews "are still in a recovery phase".
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crews → speak → phase
Despite the hard rain and falling temperatures at the site, she said, their efforts would continue until every victim was located.
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victim → fall → site
Where is the collapsed building?
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building → collapse → ?
The building at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn was constructed in the 1930s.
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building → construct → 1930s
It was adjacent to a construction site where plans have been approved for a new building that will include 64 residential units and a grocery store on the bottom floor.
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that → approve → floor
Active work was happening on the site when the incident occurred.
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incident → happen → site
It appears part of the building fell into the construction pit next door, trapping and killing some workers.
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part → appear → workers
Why did the building collapse?
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building → collapse → ?
It is too early to say what caused the building to collapse at around 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Wednesday, but officials say they are looking into the possibility of filing criminal charges.
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they → say → charges
The structure was fully occupied by residents, and construction workers were performing excavation work on a neighbouring site at the time, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
uncertain
workers → occupy → News
It's not clear if the construction had anything to do with the collapse, and the city's buildings department says it is still investigating.
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it → have → collapse
Investigators have said developers have active permits for excavation and foundation work associated with a new building project.
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developers → say → project
The developer has been identified as Robert Fischman.
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developer → identify → Fischman
In a post on X, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says: "We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy."
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conduct → say → tragedy
Mayor Mamdani later emphasised this message in a news conference, saying that every entity involved in the building and the construction site will be investigated, and held accountable.
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entity → emphasise → building
Who was hurt?
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Who → hurt → ?
Eight people - six adults and two children were killed, authorities said.
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authorities → kill → ?
A further 18 people were injured.
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people → injure → ?
Mamdani said that six people were pronounced dead at the scene, while another two died in hospital.
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two → say → hospital
Four of the injured are firefighters.
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Four → injure → injured
None of the victims have yet been identified by officials.
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None → identify → officials
Mamdani said they were "our friends and our neighbours.
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they → say → ?
More than 250 firefighters responded to the scene, working through the night to locate trapped victims.
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firefighters → respond → victims
Reporters at the scene described the chaos, which occured on a normally busy avenue of Brooklyn.
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which → describe → Brooklyn
The head of the NY Department of Buildings, Ahmed Tigani, said in a news conference on Thursday that there were no violations of building codes reported at the building before the collapse.
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head → say → collapse
He said the property developer has ties to at least 100 other sites around the city, which are also now being checked.
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which → say → city
Forecasters predict scattered showers throughout Thursday, and then heavy rain across the New York region from 17:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
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Forecasters → predict → time
The CBS meteorologist for New York, Tony Sadiku, warns there is a possibility of severe storms later in the evening, which could hamper search and recovery efforts.
uncertain
which → warn → efforts
What did witnesses describe?
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witnesses → describe → What
One man told the BBC that he had just delivered an Amazon package to apartment number 2 in the complex minutes before it crumbled.
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it → tell → complex
The man, who didn't want to share his name, described hearing a huge, loud "boom" sound.
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who → want → sound
He was shocked to see the building he was just in reduced to debris, he said.
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he → shock → debris
Within a minute or two the fire department was on the scene with several trucks, and they quickly closed the street.
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they → close → street
"I live literally right behind the building", Emmanuella Carilus told the New York Times.
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Carilus → live → Times
"It sounded like a big boom and you just heard a bunch of screaming."
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you → sound → screaming
The husband of one woman who was filmed being rescued from the rubble spoke of his relief to CBS News New York.
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who → film → News
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
