New York authorities said that a high-rise building in Midtown Manhattan remains structurally unstable and is under threat of partial collapse after load-bearing steel beams became deformed, NBC News reports.

The incident occurred at about 8:00 a.m. local time in a 37-story building located near Grand Central Terminal. According to city services, two load-bearing beams on the 21st floor began to deform, after which the area around the building was immediately evacuated.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, speaking to reporters alongside other city officials, said the building “remains unstable.”

“Since early this morning, when we arrived at the scene, we have continued to observe further movement of the structure,” he said.

The mayor called the situation “extremely serious” and thanked emergency responders for their swift reaction, as well as city residents for remaining calm and following safety measures.

The New York Fire Department commissioner noted that because the building has a steel frame, there is a risk of a localized rather than a total structural collapse.

According to Mamdani, specialists are developing a plan to reinforce the damaged floor. If engineers deem it safe for work to proceed, they will begin installing temporary supports until the materials needed for the building’s final stabilization are delivered.

“I want to honestly tell New Yorkers that the situation is developing very quickly. We are assessing it literally minute by minute,” the mayor stressed.

New York police temporarily closed off the section between 40th and 45th Streets, as well as the area between First and Third Avenues. Popular tourist sites, including the New York Public Library, Bryant Park, and Times Square, are within the restricted zone.

In addition to the building itself, seven neighboring buildings were also evacuated. According to Mamdani, the number of evacuated properties increased as the operation unfolded.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said state authorities are ready to provide the city with any assistance it needs and also urged residents to avoid the area of the incident.

The building where the incident occurred had previously served as Pfizer’s global headquarters. It is currently being converted into a luxury residential complex with 1,500 rental apartments. According to the city Department of Buildings, a construction permit is active at the site.

The New York Fire Department received the first report at about 8:00 a.m. after bricks began falling from the building at 235 East 42nd Street. Less than 15 minutes later, police received a 911 call.

Police officers who arrived at the scene determined that workers on the 21st floor had noticed deformation of load-bearing columns. Video recorded by one of the construction workers inside the building captured the failure of steel beams on that floor.

According to authorities, no one was injured in the incident. All workers at the site were evacuated, and their whereabouts have been accounted for. The exact number of people who were inside the building at the moment the threat emerged has not yet been reported.