Boy, 10 and girl, 9, are among eight killed in Brooklyn building collapse as rescuers dig through waterlogged wreckage to find survivors: Live updates

Updated: 12:35 EST, 12 November 2026

A 10-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl are among eight people who were killed after a building collapsed in Brooklyn as rescuers continue to dig through waterlogged wreckage amid a rainstorm.

Absolute terror hit the Big Apple on Wednesday evening when a building in Flatbush came tumbling to the ground, trapping residents and construction workers. Jose Luis Caguana, 26, has been named as one of the victims who died.

The two kids, who have not been identified, died alongside six adults. Two of those adults were construction workers on site when the foundation came falling down, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said this afternoon.

Distressing images and videos have revealed the chilling aftermath of the three-story building collapse, and now an inspection report has shed light on the condition of the structure before it came crumbling down.

The report, obtained by The New York Times, said that a special inspector with the Buildings Department detailed that the building was in ‘poor condition and riddled with cracks.’

Earlier, a forensic engineer said that the construction site was likely to blame for the tragedy.

Pictures of rescue efforts and aftermath of collapse

Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirms six were found dead at the scene, and two others died at hospital

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that six adults were found dead at the scene of the building collapse.

Two construction workers later died in hospitals from their injuries.

The mayor said that firefighters arrived on the scene in less than one min after the first 911 call was dispatched.

He confirmed that search and rescue operations will continue today, but will be challenging in rainy conditions.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 11: First responders work at the scene after a building collapse that leaves several people dead and others injured on Flatbush Avenue in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, on November 11, 2026. (Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Mayor’s office sets up emergency relief fund for residents displaced by building collapse tragedy

‘This has been a devastating evening and morning for our city,’ Mamdani said in the conference.

He confirmed that many residents around the site of the collapse remain indefinitely displaced. ‘We are mourning too many people who we love,’ he continued.

An emergency relief fund has been set up by The Mayor’s Fund to make donations to families who affected by the building collapse.

Donations can be made here.

Councilwoman says the victim count is high because of Veterans Day

Councilwoman Farah Louis said that she believes there are several victims because many children were off from school on Wednesday for Veterans Day.

Louis, who represents the area where the tragedy took place, told CNN: ‘So many folks were home because it was Veterans Day.

‘Because of the holiday, especially if they didn’t have childcare, they more than likely had to stay home with their kids.’

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: New York City Councilperson Farah Louis consoles a child at the scene of a partial building collapse on November 11, 2026 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Several people have reportedly been injured after a three-story building partially collapsed into an open construction site at 1321 Flatbush Ave in Brooklyn. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Two children among the eight dead

An unidentified nine-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy died in the collapse, officials said, according to ABC 7.

At least eight people lost their lives as of Thursday afternoon.

Deli worker describes moment building fell

James Williams was working at a deli across the street from the building when it started to collapse.

‘It went click, click, click, click, click, bricks was falling. I’m like, oh hell, what is going on?,’ he told the NYT.

Pregnant woman injured in collapse in stable condition

The pregnant woman who was pulled from the rubble is in stable condition, according to City Council member Farah Louis.

The expecting mom is from the West African nation of Guinea, Louis said, adding that other residents in the fallen building were also immigrants.

Louis also said that she believes that children were home from school when the building collapsed. Many students did not attend school on Wednesday for Veterans Day.

‘This is a very close-knit community,’ Louis told the NYT. ‘These folks are our neighbors. They’re our friends. That’s why the community is so heartbroken.’

Water restored to the area

Water has been turned back on in the area near the collapsed building.

At least 100 buildings were without water earlier Thursday, so emergency crews could conduct search and rescue operations.

Rain expected to hit NYC soon

A rainstorm is expected to hit New York City imminently and will continute into the night.

This will make it much harder for emergency workers to rescue people who are still trapped under the rubble.

Office belonging to company behind the construction site is nearly empty today

The office building belonging to LMW Engineering Group in Linden, New Jersey, was practically empty this morning, according to the NYT.

The company was the engineer of record for the foundation work on the construction site adjacent to the collapsed building, the report stated.

No one was in the office, and blueprints were found left behind inside, according to the outlet. There were nine cars in the parking lot.

A woman said that Jieming Wang, the firm’s owner and managing partner, was not in.

Wang has been with the company for more than 28 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The Daily Mail contacted LMW Engineering Group for comment.

Excavation was permitted to extend 14 ft below grade. Jieming Wang, a professional engineer with LMW Engineering Group LLC of Linden, N.J., is listed as engineer on the support-of-excavation filing.Planned excavation-support methods include tangent or secant piles, shoring and bracing and soldier piles with wood lagging. The project also required special inspection of excavation sheeting, shoring and bracing.

GoFundMe launched for family of victim

An online donation page has been created to help Jose Luis Caguana’s family after he died in the collapse.

The 26-year-old leaves behind his wife, four-year-old son and his unborn baby, who was expected to arrive soon, the family shared.

Jose Luis Caguana, 26, of Ecuador - VICTIM BROOKLYN BUILDING COLLAPSE https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-joses-family-after-the-brooklyn-collapse?attribution_id=sl:3571fad0-290d-498d-bfdb-b78faf7c9839&lang=en_US&ts=1794497833&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp30-treatment-3-social&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook

Resident said the construction site was an adult daycare

Lisa, a resident who has lived in the area for nine years, told the Daily Mail that an adult daycare center was there before the construction site came in.

‘What they did is they came, and they bought the building, it was an adult daycare center,’ the 37-year-old said.

‘They knocked that building down and then they started to dig so deep! So I think the digging that they did… I think that’s what caused the collapse because they didn’t put any foundation for the building – while they were doing the construction, they didn’t pin the building.

She also described ‘a deep hole’ at the construction site.