At least eight people have died after a three-storey building collapsed on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York
The city's fire department says 19 people have been injured, with four in hospital in a critical condition
New York City's mayor Zohran Mamdani is about to give an update - watch live above
Rescue efforts are ongoing, as images show dozens of emergency workers continuing to scour the wreckage
It's chaotic here - I can see the entire front portion of a building ripped off, says our reporter at the scene
Footage shows firefighters pulling one survivor out of the debris on a stretcher
An investigation is under way to establish what caused the building, which contained apartments, to suddenly collapse - this map shows where it is
Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from Brooklyn
It has started to rain here at the collapse site where New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is due to speak shortly.
That hasn’t stopped the emergency responders so far - but there is some concern that the weather could complicate operations.
We're expecting to hear from Mamdani at around midday local time (17:00 GMT) - stay with us.
Matt Spivey
Live editor
Image source, Getty ImagesWe're expecting to hear an update from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani within the next hour on the Brooklyn building collapse.
Here's the latest on what we know:
The BBC's US partner CBS News is forecasting scattered showers beginning in about an hour and then heavy rain across the New York region from 17:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
The network's New York Meteorologist Tony Sadiku warns there is a possibility of severe storms later this evening, which could hamper search and recovery efforts in Brooklyn.
Google Street View images from August 2026 show the building before the collapse. The three-storey structure sits next to a construction site in the Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
Images taken today show the scale of the destruction caused by the building completely collapsing into the construction area next door.
Image source, BBC/Google Streetview/Getty
Image source, Getty ImagesMamdani also addressed reporters at the scene on Wednesday
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani will provide an update from the scene of the Brooklyn building collapse.
He's already provided an update today, saying he is "heartbroken" that eight New Yorkers have lost their lives. He also visited the scene of the collapse on Wednesday.
He'll be speaking to the media at 12:00 ET (17:00 GMT).
Stick with us and we'll bring you his latest update as it happens. You will also be able to watch live at the top of the page.
Lucy Gilder
Live reporter
Construction workers were performing excavation work on a site adjacent to the collapsed building, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.
Google Maps images show the site had been boarded up for construction by August 2026.
A sign on the front said the site was undergoing "full demolition" and listed Robert Fischman as the owner.
Image source, Google MapsCity zoning records obtained by CBS show developers planned to construct a nine-story building at the site, including 64 residential units and a grocery store on the first floor.
The site was advertised for lease for several years before the excavation, according to Google Maps, and was formerly occupied by an organisation which provided support services for elderly and disabled adults.
It's not clear whether the construction had anything to do with the collapse and the incident is under investigation.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Brooklyn
Joyette Kerr has been at the scene of the building collapse since 12 am last night.
At 01:30 EST (06:30 GMT), more than nine hours after the collapse, she saw workers pull out a survivor from the wreckage.
She’s been at the church across the street all morning talking to families of those affected, including, she says, the wife of a 23-year-old construction worker who was working in the pit next door when the building fell. Rescuers recovered his body.
“His wife was very hysterical,” she says. “She couldn’t take the pain.” Kerr says she was up all night praying with the family.
“To me I feel like I’m doing what I should be doing try to help in a time of need.”
Kerr says she spoke to another man who went to every hospital searching for his two nephews. He still doesn’t know where they are.
She says the accident will have a “profound” impact on the community.
A large-scale effort to rescue people from the rubble of the collapsed building in Brooklyn is still underway, with eight people confirmed dead so far.
Hundreds of emergency workers are still at the scene of the devastation assisted by rescue equipment and sniffer dogs.
Daylight shows scale of devastation after Brooklyn building collapse
Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from Brooklyn
This is a busy neighbourhood in Brooklyn, usually teeming with vehicles and pedestrians.
So it has to have come as a bit of a shock to the local residents here.
One person who lives across the road is teary eyed and tells me she feels in danger.
Police have cordoned off traffic from both sides of the avenue about a block down and the area is lined with cranes, fire trucks and NYPD vehicles.
Image source, @FDNY/XThe New York City Fire Department has shared some images from the scene this morning.
In a post on X, it says: "FDNY units continue to operate Thursday morning at the site of a building collapse on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn."
Image source, @FDNY/XEarlier New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said eight people had died following the collapse.
New York's fire department (FDNY) says in an update 19 people have been injured, including four who have been taking to nearby hospitals in a critical condition.
Five people with serious injuries and 10 others with minor injuries have also been transferred to hospital, FDNY says.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Brooklyn
Patricia Starek has lived in Flatbush for 26 years. She was waiting for her son to come home from school last night when she saw the helicopters.
The news and the site of the fire department at first brought back memories of New York during the September 11 terrorist attacks, Starek says, adding she was in the city when they happened.
She says with tears in her eyes that because it was Veterans Day there could potentially have been more children in the building than there would have been usually.
“How does a building just fall into a pit? We all live here with the assumption that stairs are stable, floors are stable, that you can be on your third floor and not have the earth fall below you,” she says.
Starek says she plans to stop by the local YMCA to see if she can help her neighbours and that many others are trying to do the same.
Image source, Getty ImagesEmergency crews searching through the rubble on Wednesday
A massive search-and-rescue effort was scrambled to the scene yesterday, with more than 250 first responders in attendance.
Crews worked overnight with the help of drones and sniffer dogs to search through the piles of rubble. They have also used axes and chainsaws in their efforts to locate victims or survivors.
Firefighters and emergency crews remain at the scene today, they do not know how many are missing but New York Mayor Mamdani says it is "at least 17".
The rescue mission has been described as "extremely dangerous" by New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore.
Rescuers say they anticipate the effort will last for several days.
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Brooklyn
Ann Marie lives just a couple buildings behind the one that collapsed.
She tells me she didn't hear it collapse but saw many lights from emergency vehicles arriving at the scene yesterday.
She says the community is quiet and calm, with neighbours who “look out for each other”.
“It scares me to death,” she says of the tragedy. “I’m shocked."
"Right now, I'm really scared," she says. "Now that I'm seeing exactly this side of the building, you can imagine the fright of those people, what happened to do them."
The Department of Environmental Protection has shut down city water mains so emergency crews can continue search and rescue operations at the building collapse in Brooklyn.
In a post on X, New York City's official emergency notification system says that around 100 buildings are currently impacted.
Image source, ReutersAn investigation is ongoing to establish what caused the Brooklyn building, which contained apartments, to suddenly collapse.
The BBC's US partner CBS News reports the structure was fully occupied by residents and construction workers were performing excavation work on a neighbouring site.
It's not clear if any of the construction had anything to do with the collapse, and the buildings department says it is still investigating.
CBS reports the condition of the building before its collapse its being reviewed. Investigators have said developers have active permits for excavation and foundation work associated with a new building project.
It's unclear how much of the project had been completed when the neighbouring building collapsed.
In a post on X, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says: "We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy."
Image source, AFPTVKenneilia Reid says she saw dust in the air before the building came down.
We've been hearing from more witnesses who say they saw the Brooklyn building fall down.
Kenneilia Reid said that she started to see dust in the air as she walked by. "And when I turned my back, I saw the whole building collapse," she told AFP news agency.
Another unnamed witness told the agency: "I saw four people taken on stretchers, I saw two construction workers and two babies - they were two months old."
Emergency crews worked through the night at the site of the Brooklyn building collapse on Wednesday.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani says emergency services responded to the incident "in under a minute".
Image source, ReutersThe rescue mission was described as "extremely dangerous" by New York City Fire Department commissioner Lillian Bonsignore
Image source, ReutersMore than 250 first responders have attended the scene of the collapse
Image source, ReutersRescue operations are ongoing at the Flatbush Avenue site today, where it is just past 08:30
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from Brooklyn
I've just arrived near the scene where a Brooklyn building collapsed last night.
Earlier New York mayor Zohran Mamdani said eight people had been killed following the collapse.
The scene is chaotic, with police cars blocking off many of the blocks nearby and people in the neighbourhood are out discussing the collapse.
It’s a rare, tragic event to see so many people die from a building collapse in New York.
Moving closer, I can see the entire front portion of a building ripped off.
Fire department officials are surrounding the area as they appear to be still actively working to rescue people.
The New York fire department (FDNY) says the address was at 1321 Flatbush Avenue in the south-eastern borough of New York state.
The building was adjacent to a construction site, where plans had been approved for a new building. Active work was going on when the incident occurred, according to FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito.
The BBC's US partner CBS News reports the Brooklyn building that collapsed was built in 1930, according to city records.
