Eight people died and 18 others were injured when a three-story Brooklyn apartment building collapsed into an adjacent active excavation site on Flatbush Avenue.
The disaster unfolded on Wednesday, November 11, around 4 p.m. at 1321 Flatbush Ave, 1News reported. Rescue operations continued for more than a day before concluding on Thursday, according to emergency officials.
Among the dead were two children, ages 9 and 10, city officials said. New York police identified the victims as Nicole Daniela Salvada Rodriguez, 9; Juan Daniel Salvada Guzman, 31; Kevin Santiago Reyes Gonzalez, 10; Gabriel Siguencia, 22; Edgar Sapon, 26; and Jose Luis Caguana Cosquillo, 26. Two other victims were Mamadou N’Diaye, 31, and Mamadou Barry, 23.
Our firefighters and first responders answer the call whenever New Yorkers need them, no matter the danger. Today, I visited members of @FDNY’s Engine 255 and Ladder 157, who responded to this week’s devastating building collapse in Flatbush, to thank them for their… pic.twitter.com/cmsTfLuEkv
“I didn’t see my wife. I didn’t see my friends,” Mamadou Mouctar Balde recalled, a tear streaking his cheek, 1News reported. Balde had stepped out to buy groceries, leaving his pregnant wife and two roommates at home.
Firefighters found the bodies of N’Diaye and Barry in the wreckage. Balde’s wife, Fatoumata Bah, was pulled alive from the rubble after nearly two and a half hours trapped beneath wood and brick, 1News reported. Bah sustained serious injuries, but she and her unborn child were doing well, Balde said.
⚠️ UPDATE — Brooklyn building collapse: FDNY operations have been completed as of 3:37PM Thursday. The Department has concluded rescue operations throughout the entire site and determined there are no more victims. The site has been turned over to the Department of Buildings…
Excavation Work and Prior Violations
New York officials, including building inspectors and prosecutors, are investigating whether construction work at the adjacent site caused the collapse. Contractor Mordechai “Marty” Waisbrod notified the city that excavation would begin in September, with plans to dig below 4.5 meters for a nine-story building.
The city’s Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order in March after inspectors found the demolition site lacked adequate overhead protection for neighbors and pedestrians. Inspectors discovered work had resumed in violation of the order in April, but work continued after those issues were corrected, Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said.
City firefighters and police officers are continuing to respond and support recovery at the building collapse on Flatbush Ave. They are working with building inspectors, relief workers, emergency managers, and partners from multiple agencies. Thank you to every agency and partner… pic.twitter.com/FoQzlvw5R4
“We’re looking at the entire history, and if there are additional things we need to see, that will be part of the investigation,” Tigani said on Friday, according to 1News.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that the city ordered inspections at more than 160 sites associated with six entities linked to the construction and demolition work. “If investigators uncover any evidence of criminality, it is one that we follow through to the fullest extent of the law,” Mamdani said.
Displaced Residents and Community Grief
Neighbors living near the site reported constant disruptions and shaking walls prior to the disaster. Ciahola Lawrence, whose apartment shared a wall with the collapsed building, said construction noises were loud enough that “you would hear that thumping and movement in your soul,” 1News reported.
Lawrence’s apartment wall was ripped away, exposing an abyss of dust and debris. “As they’re taking me, evacuating me from the building, I could see my neighbours coming out on stretchers,” she said, sobbing in her husband’s arms.
Leonor Yupa dropped to her knees on Thursday when a reporter informed her that 22-year-old Gabriel Siguencia was among the dead, CNN reported. Family members gathered around her to form a prayer circle.
Winston Sanchez, speaking for the family of 26-year-old victim José Luis Caguana Cosquillo, criticized industry safety standards. “Developers, real estate, different construction companies, they’re making a lot of money with the blood of many construction workers,” Sanchez told CNN.
| Victim Name | Age | Origin / Background |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Siguencia | 22 | Ecuadorian national |
| José Luis Caguana Cosquillo | 26 | Ecuadorian national |
| Mamadou N’Diaye | 31 | Conakry, Guinea |
| Mamadou Barry | 23 | Conakry, Guinea |
Displaced residents found temporary shelter at a local YMCA, where the American Red Cross provided support. State and city officials offered condolences as structural engineers and rescue personnel secured the site to prevent secondary collapses.
“All of this could have definitely been prevented,” said local construction worker Mark Vixama, 47, according to RNZ. “We have to answer for all of that.”
We lost 8 New Yorkers in yesterday’s building collapse in Brooklyn. Two were children, ages 9 and 10. Five lived in the building. Two were construction workers. 18 more were injured, including 4 firefighters. The scale of this loss is devastating. My heart is with all those…
Earlier coverage: Brooklyn Building Collapse: Death Toll Rises as Investigation Begins
