New York City

Workers were evacuated after two support columns buckled and five floors caved in at building under construction in New York, NY. A building under construction in Midtown Manhattan was evacuated Tuesday after workers reported cracking inside the structure and support beams buckling, according to officials. The 38-story high-rise at 235 East 42nd St., the former headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, is being converted into residential apartments, WABC reported. Around 8 a.m., workers noticed buckling on the 21st and 22nd floors and evacuated the building, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) told WABC. Officials said floors 21 through 26 later began to buckle under stress. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the FDNY received reports of bricks falling from the building and urged anyone in the area to follow the instructions of first responders. "Now luckily there have been no injuries to report at this time, all workers are accounted for, the building has been evacuated, a number of tall buildings in the area are also being evacuated at this time, a school with about 400 children has also been evacuated," he said. Several neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution, and nearby streets were closed. The Department of Buildings said inspectors were on scene investigating "reports of potential structural issues at 235 East 42 Street" in Manhattan.