Brooklyn building collapse kills eight, prompts safety oversight questions

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Nov, 21:31 · Archive

A three-storey building in Brooklyn collapsed on 11 November, killing eight people, after falling into an excavation pit next to a neighbouring construction site.

Eight people died when a three-storey building containing residential and commercial units collapsed in Brooklyn on 11 November into a pit dug by workers excavating an adjacent site where another building had been recently demolished. The collapse has prompted questions about how New York City oversees construction sites and what safety precautions contractors take.

Neighbours had reported feeling vibrations from the excavation site. One witness saw bricks falling from the building shortly before it collapsed. The investigation is likely to focus on the excavation site and its contractors, who had faced previous lawsuits and complaints. It remains unclear how often the site had been inspected.

New York officials called on Friday for more building inspectors. The Department of Buildings currently has a vacancy rate of around 9 per cent, with 168 of its 1,855 authorized positions unfilled, according to the city's comptroller dashboard. Julie Menin, the New York City Council Speaker, said the city 'must, and will, ensure that every single one of those positions is immediately filled'.

How it is being reported

• Brooklyn building collapse raises questions about city oversight and safety precautionsA deadly building collapse in Brooklyn has raised concerns about New York City's oversight of construction sites.Clickorlando · 13 Nov, 20:49
• Brooklyn building collapse raises questions about city oversight and safety precautionsA deadly building collapse in Brooklyn has raised concerns about New York City's oversight of construction sites.News4Jax · 13 Nov, 20:49

In this story: Brooklyn · New York City · Julie Menin · Department of Buildings

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