Israeli Consulate in New York evacuated due to unstable skyscraper nearby

The Israeli Consulate in New York says it has been evacuated from its building due to an infrastructure incident at a nearby building in Midtown Manhattan.

In a statement, the consulate says it was “safely evacuated as a precaution” and thanks the New York police and fire departments.

Consul General Ofir Akunis says he is working to find “alternative arrangements to resume normal operations as quickly as possible.”

Reports of falling bricks and buckling columns forced evacuations in the area around a Midtown Manhattan high-rise office building that was being converted to luxury apartments, fire officials say.

The 1970s-era building is located in a busy corridor about a block from the landmark Chrysler Building and between Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations headquarters.

Among the evacuated buildings is a school with about 400 children, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. There were no reported injuries and all workers inside the building were accounted for, he said. Nearby streets were closed to people and vehicles.