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A criminal investigation has been opened into the collapse of a New York City building that left eight people dead.
The shocking moment happened Wednesday afternoon in Brooklyn and saw a three-story building collapse into an open construction site. The area became the site of a huge rescue operation involving aerial drones, sniffer dogs, and hundreds of emergency responders.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says that an investigation into the collapse, which left at least 18 people injured, has been opened.
“I am heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in today’s building collapse in Flatbush,” he wrote on X. “We are working closely with the Department of Buildings and our law enforcement partners to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy.”
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that two of those who died in the collapse were children, with a further two being construction workers.
The cause of the collapse has not been determined, but remains under investigation.
The mayor revealed that there are “five main entities involved with this construction site who are associated with approximately 100 other sites across the city.”
