Brooklyn building collapse: 6 adults and 2 children dead as rescuers conclude search operations; planning documents showed cracks in facade

The New York City Fire Department said Thursday afternoon that rescue operations had concluded at the scene of the three-story building that collapsed in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., and that there were no more victims.

Six adults and two children died as a result of the collapse, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference Thursday. The four-unit apartment building crumpled into the construction site next to it at about 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Multiple news outlets identified seven of the eight people who died, citing law enforcement officials and the victims' family members and friends.

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Those identified are:

• Mamadou Barry, 23
• José Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26
• Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10
• Edgar Santiago Sapón Gutierrez, 26
• Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31
• Nicole Daniela Rodriguez, 9
• Gabriel Siguencia, 22

The eighth victim, a 35-year-old man, has not been publicly identified.

"This has been a devastating evening and morning for our city," Mamdani said.

The children were cousins, according to the New York Times. Two others were construction workers; one of them, Caguana Cosquillo, had a wife pregnant with their second child, Today reported.

The mayor also confirmed that 18 other people were injured, including 14 civilians and four firefighters. The vast majority of those injured are being treated at hospitals and are in stable condition, with one person in critical condition.

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"I want to take a moment to remember those we have so senselessly lost. These were our friends and our neighbors, parents and children," Mamdani said. "Young families building their lives in our city and immigrants from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad and beyond. Let us continue to hold close those who have been plunged into unimaginable grief and pray for a full and rapid recovery for every New Yorker injured."

Mamdani said an investigation into the construction site and the collapsed building had begun, with law enforcement leading it. On Wednesday, the Department of Buildings issued a full stop-work order for the construction site at 2625 Bedford Ave. due to the collapse of the building at 1321 Flatbush Ave.

No official cause for the collapse has been released.

"There are five main entities involved with this construction site, or associated with approximately 100 other sites across the city. Our Department of Buildings is commencing sweeps of those sites today," he said.

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A pre-construction inspection report filed with the DOB in March for 2625 Bedford Ave. described the side of the collapsed building that faced the construction site as being in "poor condition with noticeable cracks."

In April, the DOB issued a violation to a demolition contractor at the construction site who "unlawfully continued work while on notice of a Stop Work Order," according to the violation. Inspectors noted that a single-story building was demolished despite the city's order to stop work. The violation was resolved in October, according to DOB records.

Yahoo has requested comment from the DOB.

Mamdani on Thursday thanked the first responders and construction workers who helped dig through the rubble to find survivors. "People are alive today because of their heroism yesterday," he said.

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"Firefighters arrived on the scene in less than one minute after the 911 call first came in," Mamdani added. About 250 first responders searched for survivors into the night and are working the scene.

He said the city and American Red Cross will continue to provide "expanded services" from the Flatbush YMCA for residents displaced by the building collapse, including temporary housing, assistance with social services and mental health support.

Before search operations concluded and the site was turned over to the New York Police Department and the DOB, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said Thursday's rainstorm wouldn't stop rescue operations and officials would continue until they were "100% sure there are no more people trapped."

A pregnant woman was among those pulled out of the rubble. Footage broadcast by CBS News New York showed her being taken away on a stretcher more than two hours after the building collapsed, while her husband waited in anguish.

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"She is alive. She is still alive. I'm very happy. I'm very happy. I'm very happy. I thank all of you guys," he told CBS News New York after she was rescued. "She's pregnant, six months."

Earlier, the man had been seen frantically looking for her. "I've heard nothing. She's inside the building. She's pregnant," he told reporters.

One resident, Anderson Velez, told the New York Post he was at work in the Bronx when his wife called him and said their children, ages 7 and 2, were trapped.

"She called me when the building collapsed while she was inside with rubble on top of her. She was screaming for someone to help get my son out and then the call cut off," he said, confirming his family was now safe.

An eyewitness, Melissa Orna, told the New York Times: "The whole building started shaking, and then it just fell."

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