NEW YORK (AP) — At least eight people have died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site, New York City’s mayor said Thursday, as emergency workers searched for others still trapped.

Search crews peered into crevices in the rubble, pulling out victims and at least one survivor through the overnight hours. At least 17 people have been injured, including three firefighters, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.

The building gave way Wednesday afternoon while construction workers were digging at a neighboring lot, a city official said. The cause was still under investigation.

“We heard the boom and we all rushed outside and saw smoke and dust everywhere,” said Brigitte Anama, a hair stylist at a salon across the street.

Customers and stylists jumped up and ran onto the sidewalk that was engulfed with dust. Anama saw emergency workers pulling people from the site, including what appeared to be a child. “People were saying ‘pray for the baby, pray for the baby,’” she said.

Two deaths were announced Wednesday and the others were confirmed Thursday.

“There are no words for a loss of this magnitude,” Mamdani posted on X. “My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we have lost, those who are injured and everyone grieving today.”

Rescuers with dogs searched through the night

Flatbush Avenue, a busy thoroughfare in Brooklyn, remained at a standstill Thursday morning as firefighters picked through the rubble.

Hundreds of firefighters and police officers wielding pickaxes and power saws worked through the night, clambering over the rubble, punching holes in the ruins to pull dust-covered people from piles of twisted wood and brick.

Rescue dogs sniffed the wreckage and two excavators removed large chunks of debris. Firefighters filled buckets with debris, passing them down a line.

Heavy rain was forecast on Thursday afternoon, and Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore cautioned that could hinder search and rescue operations.

“It'll turn to mud,” she told WNYW-TV, vowing firefighters would work through the rain if necessary.

Much of the collapsed building — a mixed-use structure with apartments sitting atop ground-floor commercial space — wound up in a huge pile inside the adjacent construction pit. Another building that shared a wall with the collapsed structure remained standing, but its wall was shorn off, exposing the rooms inside, including a bedroom and closets filled with shoes and clothing.

On Wednesday night, firefighters pulled a pregnant woman from the rubble, hoisted her up on a stretcher and rushed her to a waiting ambulance. Other survivors were pulled from beneath the pile as the night went on.

Bonsignore said the rescue teams were performing “dangerous and perilous” work. “Every move is choreographed,” she said.

Man identifies his brother as one of those killed

Luis Caguana, 26, who was working at the construction site, died in the collapse, his brother told WNBC-TV.

He was an immigrant from Ecuador who had been in the U.S. for about six years, Carlos Caguana said. He had a pregnant wife and a young child.

“Her husband has passed away; he was the sole provider for the family. Now that he’s gone, she is going through an immense amount of pain. She is in a very bad state right now — she’s completely overwhelmed and can’t even find the words to speak,” Caguana said.

City found violations at the construction site earlier this year

The city Department of Buildings is investigating the cause. New York City’s buildings commissioner, Ahmed Tigani, said Wednesday that construction workers were excavating the empty lot next door when the building buckled.

The architect, property owner and general contractor listed in city records have not responded to phone and email messages seeking comment.

City officials said a stop work order was issued in March after inspectors concluded the building next door was being demolished without adequate overhead protection such as netting to shield neighboring buildings, the department said in an emailed statement.

In April, inspectors found that the demolition work had resumed in violation of the stop work order, the department said. Work was allowed to continue in May after the problems were corrected, it said.

The developers have active permits for excavation and foundation work.

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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.