[EPA]
[EPA]

Fears of a partial collapse emerged in the heart of Manhattan after steel structural members buckled inside a high-rise undergoing renovation, prompting authorities to evacuate nearby residents, students and office workers and seal off the surrounding area.

According to The New York Times and other local media, a report came in around 8 a.m. Tuesday local time that bricks had fallen onto the street from a 37-story building in Midtown East.

Responding officials found two steel columns on the 21st and 22nd floors had bent out of shape. They also discovered that sections of the floor structure between the 21st and 26th floors had sagged downward.

At an afternoon news conference, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani called the situation "very serious," saying the building was unstable and that the structure had been moving continuously since that morning.

Fire Department Commissioner John Esposito said the nature of steel-frame construction made a total collapse unlikely, but he could not rule out a localized failure. "The building continuing to move is our biggest concern," he said.

The building, constructed in the 1970s, sits between Grand Central Terminal and UN headquarters. It formerly served as the global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and was being converted into a luxury apartment complex of roughly 1,600 units, with completion targeted for next year.

No injuries to workers or members of the public had been confirmed as of Tuesday. After securing the safety of workers inside, authorities deployed drones to monitor structural deformation in real time and began emergency reinforcement work on the damaged sections.

As a precaution, evacuation orders were issued for nine surrounding buildings. About 400 students from nearby schools and employees of a broadcasting station also evacuated, and roads around the scene were closed to both vehicles and pedestrians.

Experts said that once deformation is detected in the steel frame of a high-rise under construction, even additional load or vibration can worsen the damage, meaning extended restrictions and a detailed structural safety assessment may be needed until stability is confirmed.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com