Robert Mecea/Associated Press

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Five construction workers were rescued from a five-story apartment building under construction in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, that collapsed on Tuesday afternoon.

One worker was in critical condition, the Fire Department said. There were no workers missing.

The building, at 2929 Brighton Fifth Street, near Neptune Avenue, fell just before 2:30 p.m. A concrete worker on the site, Robert Approbato, 53, said the collapse happened immediately after concrete from his truck was pumped up onto the second and third floors of the building.

“Before you know it, it just collapsed,” said Mr. Approbato, whose truck read “Stillwell Ready Mix.” “It sounded like the second floor collapsed and the third floor followed.”

Deputy Chief Michael Marrone of the Fire Department said, “It’s still under investigation, but it looks like the weight of the concrete caused the third floor to collapse into the second floor.”

Dozens of firefighters swarmed the scene, digging frantically at the rubble. One man pulled from the debris on a stretcher around 3:10 p.m. was conscious and moving.

Chief Marrone said four workers were in the building at the time of the collapse, and one was in front of the building. The one in front refused medical attention. One man went into cardiac arrest and was transported to Coney Island Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. Three other workers are in stable condition at Lutheran Medical Center.

Firefighters said the framework of the building had been erected, but not much else. Removing the men from the rubble was a delicate and difficult process because of the risk of further collapse. Even after the men were removed, a large piece of corrugated metal hung in front of the building.

There are eight open building permits on the site. On Saturday, someone complained to the Buildings Department that work was being done illegally after-hours.

An employee of the architect of the building, Bricolage Designs, based in Brooklyn, said that the firm could not yet comment on the collapse, but that a structural engineer who designed the building was at the site with Department of Buildings representatives.

Dennis Lenbresitkiy, 18, who lives nearby, said he could hear pieces of the structure falling from several blocks away. “It was like two metal pieces breaking, then a crash,” he said. “It was like a car accident.”

Another neighbor, Candace Echeavarria, 27, watched firefighters carry out a stretcher with one of the workers on it.

“He wasn’t dead, thank God,” she said. “He lifted his head up.”

Al Baker and Liz Robbins contributed reporting.