Evacuations in Manhattan due to the risk of collapse of a skyscraper under renovation

Several buildings in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood, including a school and a hotel, were evacuated on Tuesday after two support columns of a skyscraper undergoing renovation became deformed, and several floors began to settle. Authorities established a safety zone, warning that there is a risk of partial collapse of the building.

The incident occurred at the building on East 42nd Street, the former global headquarters of Pfizer, which is being transformed into a residential complex with approximately 1,600 apartments. Workers noticed cracks and deformation of structural elements on the 21st and 22nd floors, after which they alerted the authorities and evacuated the building. Subsequently, inspectors found that floors 21-26 had settled, and the building continued to shift, being considered still unstable.

Over 150 firefighters and response teams were mobilized at the scene. Several nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution, including a school with approximately 400 students, and traffic and pedestrian circulation in the area was restricted. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stated that the situation is "extremely serious," but authorities believe that if a structural failure occurs, it would most likely be localized, not a total collapse of the building. So far, no casualties have been reported.