School evacuated after bricks from 'unstable' high-rise tumble onto street below

School evacuated after bricks from 'unstable' high-rise tumble onto street below A school in Manhattan, New York, has been evacuated after bricks and columns from a nearby tower block that was under construction tumbled onto the street A school in New York has been evacuated after bricks and columns from a nearby 37-storey building fell onto the street. Two structural support beams on the 21st and 22nd floors of the tower block in Manhattan buckled during Tuesday morning's rush hour, officials said. They also found floors sagging between the 21st and 26th storeys. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) said it was called at around 8am EDT (1pm BST) to reports of falling bricks on 235 East 42nd Street, prompting an emergency response. Nearby streets were closed to pedestrians and traffic. A school with about 400 pupils was evacuated, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. There were no reports of injuries and all workers inside the building were accounted for, he said at a press conference held at the scene. Mamdani said engineers are working on ways to shore up the damaged floors and are using drones so as not to enter the building. "The building remains unstable," he said. "This is an extremely serious situation, and I am thankful to our first responders for quickly arriving at the site and to New Yorkers for reacting calmly, and with urgency." He added that stabilisation work would begin as soon as the building was deemed safe. Fire Department Chief John Esposito said the building continued to move as emergency officials were at the scene. "It is not yet stable," he said. "It is still a very serious and dangerous situation." The FDNY said it has established a "collapse zone" as a precaution. Mamdani has also announced a frozen zone in the area, with 40th to 45th streets closed between First and Third avenues. It is not yet clear when the area might reopen or when evacuees might be able to return to their homes. Developer Metro Loft said in a statement: "We are working closely with the Department of Buildings to understand the full scope of the situation. The safety of our workers and the public has always been, and remains, our top priority." The building - the former global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer - is being converted to luxury apartments. It is located about a block from the landmark Chrysler Building and between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.