Brooklyn building collapse that killed eight brings inspections at 160 sites tied to the dig next door

The 96-year-old mixed-use building came down on Wednesday afternoon while workers were digging on the lot beside it, CBS New York reported. The dead include two children and two construction workers, according to FDNY figures cited by IBTimes UK. Firefighters ended the search on Thursday and turned the site over to police and the city's buildings department. The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office is looking at whether any crime was committed.

The neighboring lot had active excavation and foundation permits. In March the city stopped the demolition there for lack of overhead protection for neighbors, and in April inspectors found the work had restarted in violation of that order, the Associated Press reported. The problems were corrected and the order was lifted in May. The developers had approval for a three-story building and had applied for a nine-story project with 64 units, which was not approved. AP identified the general contractor as Townhouse Builders Inc., which also does business as Promont; its owner did not answer AP. A pre-construction survey filed on March 5 noted cracks in the facade of the building that fell, IBTimes UK reported. Investigators have not said what caused the collapse.

The city is also hiring an engineering firm for an independent report, according to AP. The Department of Buildings has 168 of its 1,855 authorized positions empty. Abi Aghayere, a civil engineering professor at Drexel University, told AP that digging beside an existing structure can go wrong through vibration, shoring that is too weak or too flexible, groundwater that moves soil, or poor monitoring.