Recap: Columns buckle at midtown building, sparking evacuations
NBC New York • • general
Key Points:
- Two structural support beams on the 21st floor of a 37-story building under construction at 235 East 42nd Street in Manhattan began buckling Tuesday morning, prompting emergency evacuations and street closures.
- Construction workers on the 21st floor noticed the columns starting to collapse, and raw footage shows severely bent steel beams inside the building.
- At least nine neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution, with a frozen zone established between 40th and 45th streets, from 1st to 3rd avenues.
- The FDNY and NYPD responded quickly after receiving calls about falling bricks and structural issues, but no injuries have been reported so far.
- Authorities describe the situation as serious and ongoing, with evacuations and street closures expected to remain in place until further notice.
