Brooklyn Building Collapse Death Toll Rises to 8 on Flatbush Avenue

Last updated: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026, 8:35 a.m. ET. This is a developing story. Casualty figures have changed several times, and we'll update this page as the FDNY and city officials release more.

Update, Thursday, Nov. 12, 8:35 a.m. ET: The death toll has risen to eight. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday morning that at least 17 people were injured, including three firefighters, the Associated Press reported. "I am heartbroken that eight New Yorkers have now lost their lives," he wrote on X. Six bodies were recovered from the rubble and two people died at the hospital, according to the FDNY via ABC7 New York, which also reported that four of the victims found Thursday are believed to be construction workers. Officials say others may still be missing, and the mayor asked anyone searching for a loved one to call 311. The Department of Buildings has put a full stop-work order on the excavation at 2625 Bedford Ave. The cause is still under investigation. The original report from Wednesday night follows.

A three-story building on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn fell in on itself just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, burying people under brick and timber. By Wednesday night the FDNY had confirmed one death and at least 10 injuries. Those numbers climbed sharply overnight.

Police said the building at 1321 Flatbush Ave., near Bedford Avenue, collapsed completely, CBS News New York reported. People were living in it. The building next door, 1323 Flatbush Ave., is still standing, but its side wall is gone. From the street you can see into stairwells and bedrooms, closets still full of clothes.

The lot on the other side was a construction site.

Brooklyn building collapse death toll: the latest numbers

The count has moved several times, which is normal in a rescue like this. As of Thursday morning:

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Thursday: 8 dead, at least 17 injured, including three firefighters.
• FDNY, via ABC7 New York, Thursday: 8 dead, 17 hurt, two critically. Six bodies recovered from the rubble; two people died at the hospital.

Wednesday evening, before the overnight search, the figures were:

• FDNY, via CBS News New York: 1 dead, at least 10 injured. Four critical, six with minor injuries.
• Senior city official, via NBC News: 1 dead, 12 injured. Six critical, six less serious.

None of the victims had been publicly identified as of Thursday morning. Officials also hadn't said whether everyone who lived in the building was accounted for, and searches were still underway after dark.

How the rescue unfolded

Firefighters got two people out of the rubble soon after the collapse, the FDNY told NBC News. Aerial footage showed dozens of firefighters digging by hand, tossing chunks of masonry aside, while dogs worked the debris pile and a drone hovered overhead.

At least two people were trapped. A senior city official said both were being freed just before 5 p.m.

The most striking moment came later. Around 6:15 p.m., firefighters broke through a fallen wall and found a woman who was conscious and talking, covered in dust. They lifted her onto a stretcher just before 6:30 and carried her to an ambulance, CBS News New York reported. A man at the scene told the station she was his wife and six months pregnant. Her condition wasn't known Wednesday night.

As it got dark, crews kept going by flashlight.

What caused the Flatbush building collapse?

Nobody official has said yet. But the setting raises obvious questions, and city inspectors are already asking them.

The collapsed building sat right beside an excavation pit. NBC News reported that a one-story building on that lot had been fully demolished, and when the three-story building came down, it filled the hole with bricks and wood.

Glenn Corbett, an associate professor of fire science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told CBS News New York that digging deep into the ground next to an existing building can destabilize it if the right precautions aren't taken. That's an expert's general explanation, not a finding about this site.

The April violation at the construction site

City records reviewed by CBS News New York add one more detail. In April, the Department of Buildings cited a demolition contractor because inspectors said a whole building at that site had been torn down even though the city had ordered all demolition work stopped. The violation is now listed as resolved. The notice doesn't explain why the stop-work order was issued in the first place.

Records also show construction has continued at the address since the demolition. Whether any of that work had anything to do with Wednesday's collapse is unknown.

NBC News said it left phone and email messages with the architect, the property owner and the general contractor listed in city records for the project.

What the city is doing now

The Department of Buildings sent its commissioner and investigators to Flatbush. They're helping with the recovery and checking whether surrounding buildings are structurally stable, which matters for anyone living next to the site.

A reception center for displaced residents is open at the Flatbush Y, officials said.

New York City Emergency Management told people to avoid the area around Flatbush and Bedford avenues. Expect road closures and traffic delays there, and check conditions before heading out Thursday morning.

The collapse came on Veterans Day afternoon, while many government offices were closed for the federal holiday. According to NBC News, the building had a business on its ground floor and apartments above.

What we're still waiting on

A few things still haven't been answered as of Thursday morning:

1. The names of the eight people who died, and the condition of the critically injured.
2. Whether everyone who lived at 1321 Flatbush Ave. has been found.
3. What the Department of Buildings concludes about the excavation next door, and whether vacate orders follow for nearby buildings.

Building collapses in New York usually lead to a long paper trail of permits, inspections and violations. In this case, the April violation is already part of the public record, and investigators will want to know what happened on that lot between then and 4 p.m. Wednesday.