Firefighters dig through rubble after NYC building collapse kills 1 and traps people in wreckage

NEW YORK (AP) — Firefighters dug through the rubble of a three-story building in Brooklyn on Wednesday after it collapsed at the edge of a construction site, killing at least one person and trapping others beneath the wreckage.

Firefighters were called to the scene in the borough's Flatbush section around 4 p.m. News helicopter footage showed dozens of firefighters scouring the debris, with a group homing in on one area and appearing to use a saw to cut through the wreckage.

One person died, and four others were rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to the New York City Fire Department. Six additional people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

The aerial videos showed firefighters digging at least one person out of the rubble and removing them on a stretcher.

The building that collapsed had been perched at the edge of a lot where another one-story building had been torn down for a construction project. The site was being excavated, and the building that fell down filled the construction pit with bricks and wood.

Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with clothing.

A drone hovered over the site as firefighters dug by hand, tossing chunks of rubble aside. Rescuers also used dogs to sniff for survivors. As darkness fell, firefighters used flashlights to illuminate the area where they worked.

Phone and email messages seeking comment were left with the architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records as being associated with the construction project.

First responders work the scene after a building collapsed in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

First responders work the scene after a building collapsed in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

First responders work the scene after a building collapsed in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

First responders work the scene after a building collapsed in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

This screengrab taken from video provided by WABC-TV shows authorities responding to a building collapse Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (WABC-TV via AP)

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — The father of an 11-month-old boy who survived being buried alive in a dog crate for about 24 hours has been charged with attempted murder in South Carolina, authorities said Wednesday.

Koah Sharp, who was reported missing in Lexington County, just west of Columbia, was released from a hospital Tuesday night following a rescue and is expected to make a “full recovery,” Sheriff Jay Koon said.

The boy’s 25-year-old father, Michael Comer, faces attempted murder and other charges. He’s been in custody since Monday when Koah disappeared.

The boy survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that was wrapped around the crate below ground, said Koon, who released additional harrowing details about the desperate search by nearly 100 first responders.

After a full day of searching Tuesday, authorities found freshly disturbed soil in the woods not far from the home of the boy's grandfather — and heard cries from below ground, the sheriff said.

“As you can imagine, the race was on. Everyone was trying to get him out,” Koon said.

Koah was soon freed and "clinging to life,” the sheriff told reporters.

“He was screaming at the top of his lungs, which is a good thing in the baby world, I would guess,” Koon said.

Comer was arrested while hiding in a building in Batesburg-Leesville. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer who could respond to the charges. A court hearing was planned for Thursday.

“We're better now that we know that Koah is safe,” his great-aunt, Amber Hammond, told The Associated Press. She was watching as he was freed from the crate.

Authorities said Koah had been in the care of Comer's mother. She had to run an errand and left the boy in Comer's care while another caregiver was on the way.

“By the time the caregiver got there, Michael was gone, and Koah was gone with him," the sheriff said.

Surveillance video from several businesses in the area showed Comer without the baby on Monday afternoon, Koon said.

Koah's parents “have had some situations” regarding domestic violence charges, the sheriff said.

“Children,” he said, "sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Hammond said her nephew had talked about taking the baby to New York because “he didn’t want to be in the same state as the mom.” When Koah vanished, she and others assumed that Comer had given the boy to someone.

“We had no idea something like this would happen at all,” Hammond said.

Comer was sentenced to probation in October after pleading guilty to domestic violence and aggravated breach-of-peace charges related to an arrest in July, Lexington County online court records show. Prosecutors dropped a gun charge as part of the plea deal. He also got credit for spending more than two months in jail.

At nearly a year old, Koah has been trying to stand on his own, said Hammond, who cared for him last weekend. And he already has some TV favorites.

“I’d go to feed him, and it had Mickey Mouse on," Hammond said. "You can’t feed him and have Mickey Mouse on at the same time.”

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Associated Press writers Ed White in Detroit, Michael R. Sisak in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed.

This photo provided by the Lexington County Sheriff's office in Lexington, S.C. shows Michael Comer on Nov. 10, 2026. (Lexington County Sheriff's Office via AP)