Overview
- A three-story residential building in Flatbush, Brooklyn suddenly fell into a neighboring construction excavation on Wednesday afternoon, leaving sections of the house and debris dumped into the trench.
- More than 250 firefighters and rescuers launched a lengthy, high-risk search that used drones, search dogs and cutting tools to find survivors in unstable rubble.
- Officials have confirmed two deaths and 17 people hurt, including seven children and four people with life-threatening injuries, and rescuers say they still do not know how many people may remain under the debris.
- City building inspectors and investigators are on site and report excavation work was under way next to the house at the time, and they are gathering permits, demolition records and construction evidence to determine if the work played a role.
- If investigators find that excavation or nearby demolition weakened the footing, the ruling could trigger stricter enforcement, permit reviews and changes in how new digs are shored near older residential buildings.