Death toll rises to eight after New York building collapse as city widens investigation

PHOTO: At a Public Information Briefing at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore and New York City officials provided an update on the deadly building collapse at Box 3741 in Brooklyn./FDNY

NEW YORK — The death toll from the collapse of a three-storey building in Brooklyn has risen to eight, including two children, while New York City authorities have widened their investigation to dozens of construction sites linked to the project beside the collapsed building.

The building on Flatbush Avenue in the Flatbush neighbourhood collapsed at about 4pm on Wednesday, 11-11-2026, into an adjacent excavation site. Six adults and two children were killed, while 18 people were injured, including four firefighters, according to city officials. One of those injured remains in critical condition, while most of the others are stable.

The victims have been identified by the New York Police Department as Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9; Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10; Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Barry Mamadou, 23; Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26; Edgar Sapon, 26; Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31; and Ndiaye Mamadou, 31. Two of the adult victims were construction workers.

The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) ended its search on Thursday afternoon after crews determined that there were no more victims beneath the rubble. More than 250 firefighters and emergency personnel had worked through the night and into Thursday in difficult conditions, using search dogs, drones and heavy equipment.

Collapse occurred beside active excavation

The building, constructed in 1930 and containing four residential units, stood beside an active construction site. Several immigrant families lived in the building, according to Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The collapse also severely damaged the neighbouring building, exposing parts of its interior, including apartments. Three nearby addresses were ordered vacated as a precaution while inspectors assessed their safety.

The adjacent construction project had an active permit for excavation and foundation work. Officials are now examining whether work at the site contributed to the collapse.

Records reviewed by investigators show that excavation had been under way earlier this year. A notice filed in September indicated that the earthwork included rock blasting, although officials have not established that the blasting caused or contributed to the collapse.

A full stop-work order has been issued while the investigation continues.

Mamdani orders wider investigation

Mamdani said the city would investigate five companies connected with the construction site and approximately 100 other sites associated with those companies.

City building inspectors have been deployed to the other locations to determine whether they pose safety risks.

"If there is anyone or any entity operating in this city that bears responsibility for what happened, we will hold them fully accountable," Mamdani said.

The investigation is being conducted by the city's Department of Buildings and law-enforcement agencies, with the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office also involved in determining whether criminal conduct played a role.

Officials have stressed that the cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

That distinction is important: the presence of excavation, foundation work or evidence of rock blasting does not yet establish that the construction project caused the building to fail.

Rescue operation ends after nearly 24 hours

The initial response was complicated by the unstable wreckage and dangerous voids beneath the debris.

FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said rescuers continued to treat the site as a search-and-rescue operation until they could be certain that no one remained trapped.

"We always assume that there are more people there until we can access the ground," Bonsignore said during Thursday's briefing.

Crews worked through heavy rain on Thursday, using machinery to remove larger sections of debris while firefighters searched beneath the rubble.

By Thursday afternoon, the FDNY announced that rescue operations throughout the site had been completed and that there were no additional victims. The site was subsequently turned over to the Department of Buildings and the NYPD.

Mayor mourns victims

Mamdani described the victims as neighbours, parents and children, and members of immigrant communities.

"These were our friends and our neighbours, parents and children, young families building their lives in our city, and immigrants from Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Trinidad and beyond," he said.

He also praised firefighters who reached the scene within about a minute of the initial 911 call.

"Just because we expect this courage from the FDNY does not make it any less extraordinary," the mayor said.

The city has established assistance for families affected by the collapse, while authorities continue to assess neighbouring buildings and the wider construction sites connected to the companies under investigation.

What happens next

With the rescue operation concluded, the focus now shifts from finding survivors to determining why the building collapsed and whether anyone should be held responsible.

Investigators are examining both the collapsed structure and the adjacent construction site, including its excavation and foundation work, permits, previous violations and the reported rock-blasting activity.

The building had reportedly been cited for violations months before the collapse, but those violations were corrected and construction was allowed to resume in May. Investigators have not established whether those earlier violations were connected to Wednesday's disaster.

For now, officials are treating the collapse as an active investigation rather than attributing blame.

The immediate search for victims is over. The much longer investigation into what brought down the building — and whether it could have been prevented — has only begun.