Building collapse in Bronx, New York City

A building located in Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City, partially collapsed killing 1 worker and injuring at least 5 more.

The incident occurred in East 208th Street on the night of August 27, 2019. The 4-story structure was under construction when it gave way. It is still unclear how many workers were inside at the time of the collapse. Unfortunately, a 47-year-old laborer was trapped under the rubble and died at the scene.

At least 100 firefighters rushed at the site in search of survivors in an operation that proved to be very challenging. According to John Esposito, Chief of Special Operations at New York's Fire Department, the victims were working on the 2^nd floor. “The firefighters had to put up ladders and access the second floor. There was a lot of rubble, a lot of broken concrete blocks, a log of the building material that covered the area, we had to dig through it,” Esposito stated. Two of them suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized while the other 3 got away with minor injuries.

Construction works were immediately paused after the incident and the Department of Buildings (DOB) is examining the site to bring those responsible to justice. DOB stated that the death of the unfortunate man could have been prevented. The causes of the collapse are also under detailed investigation, although, according to a DOB source, the main cause of the failure was the heavy load applied by 3^rd floor's masonry blocks. 

The building that was being constructed between 2 other structures, received a permit on May 2019. No construction violations were issued at the site before the incident.

 Sources: Foxnews, NYpost, NBC