Columns in Manhattan high-rise buckle, prompting evacuations


People look up at the site of a building on 42nd Street which was reported to have structural issues in New York City, U.S., July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Jordan Tovin

NEW YORK, July ⁠7 (Reuters) - A high-rise building under ⁠construction in Manhattan was evacuated on Tuesday ‌morning after two of its columns buckled, officials said.

The Fire Department of New York said it ​received a call just ⁠before 8 a.m. ⁠ET about bricks falling from the 38-story building ⁠located ‌on 42nd Street.

Officials responding to the scene found two columns ⁠had buckled on the 21st and ​22nd floors ‌and multiple floors of the building ⁠were sagging, ​the department said.

Nearby buildings have been evacuated and streets remain closed, with no injuries ⁠reported at this time, ​officials said.

"Our top priority right now is the safety of those who live in this ⁠area, the safety of those who work in this area," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters at ​an unrelated event.

The building ⁠near Grand Central Station was once Pfizer's ​corporate headquarters. It is ‌currently being converted into an ​apartment building.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by David Ljunggren)

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