Mamdani Vows 100 Construction Site Probes After 8 Killed in Building Collapse

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said city officials would commence sweeps of 100 construction sites after eight people died in the collapse of a three-story Brooklyn apartment building.

(Bloomberg) -- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said city officials would commence sweeps of 100 construction sites after eight people died in the collapse of a three-story Brooklyn apartment building. 

The building collapsed shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday, trapping people inside the rubble, with emergency crews working through the night to rescue survivors.

As of Thursday afternoon, the collapse had killed eight people and injured 18, according to the mayor. Two of the dead were children and four of the injured were firefighters. One of those injured was in critical condition, and most of those hospitalized were stable.

The city issued a stop work order for the adjoining lot, an excavation site where a new building and cellar had been proposed, according to city building records, which cited unsafe construction operations.

Mamdani in a press briefing on Thursday said the city had identified five entities associated with the neighboring construction site, which were associated with 100 other sites across the city. The mayor said the city Department of Buildings would commence sweeps of those locations the same day.

“A tragedy of this magnitude demands a comprehensive and thorough investigation that includes both the construction site and the building which collapsed,” Mamdani said. The mayor said the probe “will extend to any and all sites that those who operated these sites are currently operating.”

Construction workers were digging on the neighboring lot when the building collapsed, Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tigani said. Officials don’t yet know how many people were inside the building or how many remain unaccounted for. 

In March, the city ordered demolition at the site to stop, because “overhead protection was not installed or provided for adjacent properties.” The violation was later resolved and it’s unclear whether it played any role in the collapse.

“These were our friends and our neighbors, parents and children,” Mamdani said. “Let us continue to hold close those who have been plunged into unimaginable grief.”