Death toll in New York three-story building collapse rises to 5; 17 injured

[Financial News] The death toll from a building collapse in Brooklyn, New York, on the 11th (local time) has risen to five. Seventeen people were reported injured.
Local media, including the Associated Press, reported on the 12th that the death toll had risen and that four of the injured were in critical condition. Authorities had earlier said that seven of the casualties were children, but did not specify whether any of the dead were children. Authorities initially reported two deaths shortly after the accident, but three more bodies were found during a nighttime search with detection dogs.
The number of casualties could rise further as search operations continue, with the number of missing people still unclear.
The building collapsed at around 4 p.m. on the 11th in Flatbush, an area with a large Black and African-Caribbean population. The collapsed three-story building comprised ground-floor commercial premises and four homes.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation. However, Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said excavation work for a new building was underway on an adjacent vacant lot when the building collapsed.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said about 250 firefighters are currently conducting rescue operations. He emphasized, "The situation is very challenging and changing rapidly," adding, "We have to make our way through unstable debris, and there are dangerous voids beneath the surface."

[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter