Updated Nov. 11, 2026, 10:27 p.m. ET
A three-story building in the Brooklyn borough of New York City collapsed on Nov. 11, leaving at least two people dead and 17 injured.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the deaths at a news conference at the scene of the collapse. New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the New York Fire Department treated 19 victims total, including the dead.
Bonsignore said that four people were hospitalized in critical condition and 12 were in stable condition. Seven children were among the victims but Bonsignore did not specify their conditions or ages.
Officials repeatedly said that the number of victims could change as the rescue operation continues.
“This has been an incredibly challenging and fast-moving situation, with precarious wreckage to navigate and dangerous voids beneath the surface,” Mamdani said.
Bonsignore said that multiple people from both the building and an adjacent construction site were trapped by the collapse, which occurred around 4 p.m. ET.
She added that, as of the 8:15 p.m. ET news conference, it was unknown how many people remained trapped in the rubble. New York Fire Chief John Esposito said that the search for victims could for continue for “several days.”
It is unclear what lead to the collapse. Mamdani announced that the New York Department of Buildings and law enforcement would investigate.
Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said that the construction crew was doing “excavation work” before the collapse.
Mamdani previously asked the public to join him in “holding our neighbors and the members of this community in our hearts” in a statement provided to USA TODAY. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on social media that her “heart breaks” for the victims and that the state will offer “full support” to the investigation.
Anthony Griggs, a witness, told the New York Post that he heard “two big bangs” before the collapse. Ace Rogers, also a witness, told amNY that he heard “two loud bangs.”
The collapse occurred in the Little Haiti section of Brooklyn.
This story has been updated
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