News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (July 11, 2026 - July 17, 2026) July 17, 2026 8 Community India’s Permanent Mission To The UN Evacuated As Adjacent Building Shows Signs Of Disrepair T he staff at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN (PMI) are not yet back in their offices and residences as of Thursday, July 9, 2026. Accord- ing to the most recent updates from city officials, the PMIs 27-story red granite building at 235 East 43rd Street, which houses both the mission’s of- fices and the residences of Indian diplomats and their families, is one of the structures that remains under a full emergency vacate order. While the overall “frozen zone” in Midtown has been reduced and the main building at 235 East 42nd Street has been stabilized with emergency jacks, the Depart- ment of Buildings (DOB) has kept explicit, full vacate orders on three adjoining buildings directly behind the site—specifically listing the PMI building at 235 East 43rd Street, 231 East 43rd Street, and 815 Second Avenue, reports from Fox5 News said. The PMI building was among the nine buildings that were officially evacuated by the city on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, as part of safety measures, according to breaking news reports. On the morning of July 7, around 7:57 am, major structural issues were reported at the former Pfizer headquarters building, located right behind the mission at 235 East 42nd Street, which also shares a through-block presence and proximity to the PMI building. Emergency officials had reported that two steel columns had buckled on the 21st floor, causing floors to sag and bricks to fall into the street. Out of caution due to a building collapse threat, the FDNY and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had ordered the immediate evacuation of several surrounding proper- ties, explicitly including the PMI building, along with a nearby school and other neighboring structures, ac- cording to NY1 news. Most of 42nd Street and 43rd Street between 1st and 3rd Avenues, along with 41st, 44th and 45th Streets, were completely shut down to both pedestrians and vehicles while Department of Buildings engineers assessed the stability of the high-rise tower. The 27-story, red granite-clad tower of PMI, designed by Indian architect Charles Correa, and built in 1993, stands apart in the surrounding glass and brushed stainless steel building. With the building’s main tower of shimmering redwood colored metal panels, blue windows, huge Rajasthani timber entrance, and late M.F.Hussain’s paintings, it charms passersby and tour- ists. Accommodated within its tight footprint, it houses office, exhibition and residential spaces. There have been no official updates from the PMI about the evacu- ation. Following the emergency response dispatched im- mediately on July 7th, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Commissioner Ahmed Tigani of Department of Build- ings, along with Fire Department Chief John Esposito, had provided an update at a press conference July 7th regarding the structural integrity threat at 235 East 42nd Street, stating the situation was “very serious”. The safety of NewYorkers was uppermost in the evacu- ation decision; he had said and thanked NewYorkers for cooperating with the officials through the evacua- tions. The specific area is very close to the UN, to the un- derground Midtown Tunnel, and some of the under- ground railroads, increasing the danger of the impact of a collapse grave. However, Esposito said, in answer to a question, that since the building was a steel build- ing, the damage would be localized and it would not be a total collapse. The Chrysler building, as it is known in NYC, has two parts - 37 stories on one side and 22 stories on the other side where they were adding 11 more floors. The steel columns had buckled in the 37 story part, not in the new construction part, NY1 had reported. The Department of Buildings (DOB) inspectors and engineers have remained on-site since the morning of July 7th to investigate the scope of the structural com- promise, specifically looking into continued reports on a compromised steel beam. Emergency construction crews and structural engineers have worked around the clock to secure the building, according to NY1 news. They have success- fully installed emergency trusses, struts, jacks, and new steel to take the weight off the compromised columns in the building. Tigani reported that monitoring equip- ment has shown zero structural movement, confirming the emergency intervention worked. The strict evacuation “frozen zone” has been signifi- cantly reduced as of July 9th, most nearby streets have reopened to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and many of the surrounding vacate orders have been lifted. In the meantime, discussions have been going on about NYCs need to turn large office buildings into residential buildings, specifically in Manhattan, to meet the growing housing needs. Speaking about risks posed by reconstructions, Tigani had informed on July 7th that plans for such reconstructions always undergo thorough review, as did the plans for the building in question which were reviewed for two years at different levels of requirements. The corresponding Manhattan neighborhood is a tight space of tall office and residential buildings, with the Tudor Hotel in the neighborhood. On July 7th it was not known when all the people who live in those build- ings and the hotel would be able to return. City inspectors and engineers are still evaluating the surrounding properties on a case-by-case basis as of July 9th, according to NY1 news. Because 235 East 43rd Street sits directly behind the compromised 42nd street tower (sharing a through-block proximity), the city will only lift the vacate order and allow staff and residents back inside once they are 100% certain that the imme- diate area is completely clear of any localized risk, NY1 reported. By Archana Adalja PHOTO:PMINEWYORK.GOV.IN PHOTO:SCREENSHOT FROMVIDEO OF BRIEFING PHOTO:REUTERS/JORDANTOVIN PHOTO:REUTERS/JORDANTOVIN Permanent Mission of India to the UN. Officials and Mayor of NYC Zohran Mamdani, fielding media questions at press briefing regarding the debris falling from building and safety issues, July 7, 2026. NYPD officers near a building on 42nd Street, which was reported to have structural issues, in New York City, U.S., July 7, 2026. Members of the media work near a building on 42nd Street, which was reported to have structural issues, in New York City, U.S., July 7, 2026.