New york city: Several buildings in New York City were evacuated Tuesday after structural columns buckled at a high-rise construction site in Manhattan, city officials said. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that the FDNY received reports around 8 a.m. local time (1200GMT) of a structural issue at an active construction site on East 42nd Street between Second and Third Avenue.

According to Anadolu Agency, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) was cited by WABC, reporting that construction workers noticed cracks inside the building in Midtown Manhattan around that time. The building, a former Pfizer pharmaceutical headquarters, is currently being converted into residential apartments. Officials described it as an existing 37-story commercial office building with active permits for conversion to residential use.

Speaking to reporters near the site, Mamdani said first responders found structural issues on the 21st floor, including two buckled structural columns, multiple cracks, and sagging floors. FDNY Chief of Department John Esposito indicated that steel beams had begun to bend and deflect from the weight, and the building had continued to move after crews arrived.

WABC reported that support beams were seen buckling on the 21st and 22nd floors of the 38-story building, prompting workers to evacuate on their own. The outlet also reported that pressure caused the 21st through 26th floors to begin caving in.

"Now luckily, there have been no injuries to report at this time, all workers are accounted for," Mamdani said. He added that the building and seven surrounding structures had also been evacuated. WABC reported that nine nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, including a hotel and a school with about 400 children.

Mamdani said police had closed 40th to 45th streets between First and Third Avenue to pedestrians and vehicles.