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Video from inside Brooklyn apartment captures moment New York City building collapsed, killing 8
A three-storey building in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighbourhood collapsed on Wednesday, killing eight people and injuring at least 17, including three firefighters. Newly released footage from a third-floor apartment shows the building beginning to fail as a resident’s family tries to escape, bringing into focus the human impact of the collapse and the emergency response.
The video shows a nine-year-old boy and a two-year-old child in the apartment shortly before the walls break apart; their father, Anderson Velez, said he remains in shock. City Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said excavation was under way at an adjacent Bedford Avenue site, where plans for a nine-storey building have not been approved; the neighbouring property owner is also facing scrutiny over earlier construction violations and a reported ignored stop-work order.
In short
- Brooklyn building collapse killed eight people.
- At least 17 people were injured, including three firefighters.
- Excavation was under way at the neighbouring site.
Explained simply
Flatbush is a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, one of New York City’s five boroughs. Buildings work there is overseen by the city’s Department of Buildings, which reviews plans and can issue orders to stop construction when rules are not being followed.
Excavation is digging to prepare a site for building work, and it can take place near existing homes and businesses. The collapse has drawn attention to how construction at one property, building inspections and safety protections for neighbours are handled, as well as to the impact on residents and emergency workers.