Flatbush collapse death toll rises to 5 as crews keep digging; city had cited the excavation site next door

Three more bodies were pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building in Flatbush, Brooklyn, overnight, bringing the death toll to five, city officials said Thursday, Fox News reports.

The FDNY first reported two deaths after the three-story building at 1321 Flatbush Ave., with a store at street level and apartments upstairs, came down at about 4 p.m. Wednesday into an open construction site next door at 2625 Bedford Ave. A total of 19 people were hurt, four of them taken to hospitals in critical condition. Officials say an unknown number of people may still be trapped.

More than 12 hours in, over 250 fire and EMS personnel remain on scene, using drones to survey the wreckage and vacuum trucks to clear debris. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said firefighters arrived within a minute of the 4:01 p.m. 911 call.

City records show the Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order on the Bedford Avenue site in March, after inspectors found the developers had demolished the old building there without adequately shielding neighbors, including 1321 Flatbush Ave. About a month later, investigators found the demolition had continued in violation of the order, and the contractor was fined $10,000. The order was lifted in May after the developers came into compliance.

The DOB has again halted all work at 2625 Bedford Ave. and is investigating. A cause has not been determined.