The collapse happened around 4 p.m. near the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Flatbush Avenue in the Flatbush neighborhood. Officials said it was not immediately clear what caused the building to give way.

Four of the injured were in critical condition, while the others suffered less serious injuries, the FDNY said at a news conference Wednesday night. Seven children and one firefighter were among those hurt. The department did not release the ages of the two people who died or say whether any children were among the fatalities.

Firefighters arrived within a minute of the collapse and pulled two people from the debris soon after. Aerial footage showed dozens of firefighters digging by hand well into the evening, tossing aside chunks of rubble as dogs sniffed for survivors and a drone hovered overhead. As darkness fell, crews used flashlights to light the search area. Additional victims were carried out on stretchers around 4:45 p.m. and again just after 6:30 p.m.

The building appeared to have housed a business on its ground floor, with two floors of residential space above. It stood directly beside an excavation pit left after a one-story building on the adjacent lot was fully demolished. The collapse filled the construction pit with bricks and wood. A neighboring building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its side wall was sheared off, exposing rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets still filled with clothing.

City records list an architect, property owner and general contractor in connection with the construction project. Messages seeking comment from all three were not immediately returned.

The Department of Buildings said inspectors were on scene to assist with recovery operations and to check the structural stability of surrounding buildings. The Office of Emergency Management urged people to avoid the area, warning of traffic delays and road closures. Flatbush Avenue was shut from Clarendon Road to Bedford Avenue.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a post on X, asked residents to stay clear so rescue crews could keep working. "We will be sharing what we learn as soon as we can confirm it," he wrote. "As emergency operations continue, please join me in holding our neighbors and the members of this community in our hearts."

Gov. Kathy Hochul said on social media that her "heart breaks for the family who lost a loved one in today's building collapse in Brooklyn." She added that her administration had offered full support to authorities investigating the collapse.

The fire department cautioned that the number of victims could rise, noting that it was not known how many people were inside the building when it fell or whether everyone had been accounted for. The investigation into the collapse is ongoing.