Crews search rubble of deadly NY building collapse as rain threatens to complicate rescues

NEW YORK — More bodies have been pulled from the rubble of a New York building collapse, according to fire officials.

Eight people, including six adults and two children, have died in the building collapse, according to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

At least 19 people, including firefighters and children, were injured after the three-story structure fell yesterday afternoon. Rescue workers don't know how many people may still be trapped.

Eight people, including six adults and two children, have died as a result of the three-story building collapse in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, according to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Heavy rain is falling in New York City, and the FDNY leader acknowledges it will make responding to the collapsed building in Brooklyn even more difficult.

"It will definitely hinder our efforts, but this type of an emergency is something our members train extensively for, and we will be here until we are 100% sure there are no more people trapped," said Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.

Four firefighters are among those injured in the incident, officials said, and the painstaking work of manually moving debris has been replaced for now by cleanup using large equipment.

Although no survivors have been found for hours, Bonsignore said that is not a sign that they have given up on finding more.

"To be clear, we have not shifted from rescue to recovery," she said.

Investigators are looking into what caused the building to collapse into an adjacent construction site, trapping people in both. Officials are concerned about a secondary structural fall.

Katie Stevens, a teacher who lives about a block from the building, watched a terrifying scene play out in the hours after the building came down.

Stevens was home from work for Veterans Day when she heard the collapse, at first mistaking the sound for construction that had been ongoing in the area. When she walked down the block to investigate, she saw a man, woman and child holding each other and crying.

"The whole building next to ours just disappeared," they told her.

About 100 buildings surrounding the rubble of the building are currently without water, according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

"DEP has shut down city water mains so emergency crews can continue search and rescue operations," an NYC Water post says.

Excavators moved into the building collapse site just before 8 a.m. Thursday.

Two such heavy machines worked to clear debris, transferring it piecemeal onto Flatbush Avenue to be searched by hand and by dogs.

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