One person died following the collapse of a building during demolition in Jamaica on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the FDNY.
A second person was seriously injured and transported to a nearby hospital.
FDNY officials received a call concerning the collapse at 147-07 94th Ave., Jamaica around 11:45 a.m., according to the fire department. One person was dead by the time EMS officials could respond. One seriously injured person was transported to Jamaica Hospital. Both people harmed in the collapse were workers on the site, according to the FDNY.
Department of Building inspectors arrived at the site of the collapse to “investigate a construction-related incident,” according to an agency spokesperson.
“Any loss of life on a construction site is a tragedy, and our engineers and inspectors are already on site conducting a thorough investigation,” said DOB Commissioner Melanie La Rocca. “We want to assure the families of the victims that we will hold all responsible parties accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The demolition of the existing 3-story building was first permitted on Nov. 25, 2019 and was carried out by Cole Partners Inc., according to the DOB.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
This story was updated at 3:40 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020.
