A seven-story building collapsed in northeastern Brazil, killing at least one person, trapping others — and drawing new attention to the unsettling frequency with which buildings here suddenly fall down.

The building in the northeastern city of Fortaleza collapsed without warning at about 10:30 a.m., cloaking the surrounding neighborhood in smoke and debris. Video of the scene showed chaos: People rushing past cars covered in dust to reach the destruction in an upscale part of town, less than two miles from the tourist destination of Iracema beach.

Firefighters searched the rubble for survivors.