Tragedy in the Depths: New York City's Basement Floods Fatalities

Two people lost their lives in flooded basements across New York City during a torrential rainstorm that halted road traffic and led to flight delays, officials reported.

Tragedy struck when a scuba team retrieved a 39-year-old man's body after he was trapped in a submerged basement in Brooklyn. Meanwhile, a 43-year-old man was found unconscious and later pronounced dead in a basement boiler room in Manhattan. Both incidents highlight the perilous conditions caused by the downpour.

Rain records were shattered, with Central Park receiving 1.8 inches and LaGuardia Airport recording 1.97 inches. The relentless rainfall drew attention to the inadequacies of the city’s sewer systems, as images of submerged cars and flooded subway stations flooded social media.