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to the Flatbush collapse. Now, the U search for survivors and victims has ended in Flatbush. More than 24 hours after the three-story building collapsed, according to the FDNY, eight people died, two of them children. Firefighters determined there are no more victims in the rubble. And now, the site has been turned over to the NYPD and Department of Buildings for an investigation into what went wrong. Rescuers didn't let the bad weather stop them from making sure they found every single person. And Doug Williams has more from the record site in Flatbush. When I was in the hospital meeting with these families who have been devastated
by this collapse, one of the family members pulled me aside and told me how much she appreciated the work of the FDNY. That four firefighters are in the hospital as a result of injuries they face because of their work. For roughly 24 hours Wednesday into Thursday, the tireless bravery of FDNY rescue workers was overshadowed only by the tragic loss of life they had been forced to uncover. These were our friends and our neighbors, parents and children, young families building their lives in our city. A steady heavy rain slowed the work Thursday, but never stopped it. after hours of debris removal with heavy machinery. The FDNY announcing just
after 400 p.m. that their operations at the site were complete. Meanwhile, the investigation into what caused the collapse of 1321 Flatbush is just getting started. Mayor Mani says five companies have ties to the construction site next door, where excavation work was underway when the building collapsed. Those five companies, according to the mayor, have ties to about 100 other sites citywide. We are uh launching a extensive full of government uh investigation into this. While the investigation will take time, the impact on families in this community was felt right away. We all live as brothers and sisters here. And to see something like that happen is heartbreaking. It's very is so hurtful. And in a way, what you see here
at the scene right now is a perfect encapsulation of what the whole day has been like on Thursday. You see, heavy rain is falling and yet work is still being done. And with the FDNY's announcement right around 4:00 that the rescue efforts are over on their end. They now pass things over completely to the NYPD and the Department of Buildings. Here in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Doug Williams, CBS News, New York. Throughout the day, relatives and friends of those injured had been waiting for updates on their conditions. Hannah Cleger has more on that.
The Department of Social Services says people who are affected by this collapse can get some assistance at the HR Center at 495 Claremont Avenue. They say they can help with things like SNAP benefits and Medicaid, cash assistance, moving assistance, storage, things like that. The Burough President's Office has also organized a resource drive at Brooklyn Burough Hall where people can drop off things like toiletries and gift cards right here at Kings County Hospital. This is a level one trauma center, so they are equipped to deal with the most complex type of injuries. We're about 2 miles away from the collapse site where last night elected officials said they were standing by as people were being
loaded onto ambulances and they were trying to speak with those who are conscious to keep track of which hospitals they were going to. We saw one family going in to get updates on their relative who is being treated at Kings County right now. Alvaro Miguel Casiaguano Toasa, his cousin says the dad of two is a construction worker injured at this site. She sent us this photo saying he's got a head injury and is in pain but doing okay. A lot of people that work in the construction are from my country from Ecuador. So we're like kind of um sad because it's like our community that is getting you know this bad news. of people passing away.
We're still waiting to get updates on that pregnant woman we've been telling you about. You may remember one of the most gut-wrenching moments from last night's rescue efforts. We saw her getting pulled out alive from the rubble. Our colleague Alan Develin was with her husband who was at the scene for hours, not sure whether she was dead or alive, obviously in distress. But when he saw this footage from our chopper, he confirmed with Allan that it was indeed his wife who was saved. Now, earlier today, there was one man who spent the night in his car outside of this hospital because he heard of one of his friends who lived in that building that had collapsed. His name was John Tobacco, was injured. He was staying
here all night just trying to get any information he could. I spoke with him earlier this evening. He said he plans to come back again tonight to spend the night and see if he can get any updates. For now, we're live outside Kings County Hospital. Pamagger, CBS News, New York. Now, if you've been emotionally affected by the building collapse, you can get toll-free counseling with the Disaster Distress Helpline. The number is on your screen. It's a 247 helpline through the federal government. It can connect you with counselors in more than 100 languages. And as the investigation continues, CBS News New York will keep you informed every step of the way. You can find complete coverage of the collapse on our website,
cbsnew york.com. Tonight, the search for victims has ended after the deadly building collapse in Brooklyn. A live look at the scene in Flatbush. All day, we've seen construction equipment sifting through the debris. The FDNY left the scene earlier today, saying they've examined the scene and there are no more victims in the rubble. Tonight we know eight people are dead, two of them are children, and now the focus turns to the people recovering, the grieving families, and the search for answers about how this happened. And for that now, I'm joined by Glenn Corbett, associate professor of fire science at John J. Criminal College. Uh, professor, thank you so much for joining us. The
scene, as we just heard, now in the hands of the NYPD, the Department of Buildings, should they be leading this investigation? Well, I mean there are two aspects of this. Certainly any criminal activity if in fact uh that the NYPD determines have taken place, that's of course their responsibility. Well, as far as the investigation into how this happened and all the issues of the collapse itself and uh related um problems and things like that, in my mind, this should be an really an independent inquiry uh provided by a uh blue ribbon panel the city can put together of subject matter
experts uh folks that uh have expertise in civil and structural engineering uh people from outside the city. this way we get a more objective look at what happened because again we need to get to the bottom of this. Uh professor you know the buildings department has had a history 150 year history really of corruption. Could that be a factor here and what can be done going forward? Well, it's yes, it's possible. And it's also possible other things, just simple things that didn't happen when they should have happened, um would not really um be an element that we that the building department may want to get
into. And if they conduct their own investigation, which I understand is already taking place now, um you know, I don't know how, you know, they can sort of investigate themselves where they are in fact part of this. So, the building department has a long history. Uh it's an incredibly important department in the city. It's no less important than the police or fire departments. We rely on them all the time to make sure that our buildings are safe. And again, I think it's time for an independent look at what happened here uh yesterday. You know, Professor, we know that there's a big demand for building because there's a housing shortage. Should we have concerns about constructions? Let me try
that again. Should we have concern about construction and buildings all around the city? Well, we know that the building department's really stretched thin in terms of personnel. And when you're stretched thin in terms of personnel, inspections don't happen very often, and that's one big issue that we have to deal with here. If you know, in fact, we're going to be at a period of a lot more construction than we have right now, which is a lot to begin with. uh we do need to make sure that the building department is properly staffed with appropriate people with the expertise to do the inspections uh so that we can feel uh assured that the job is getting done you know and again New York City is
not unique in this respect but certainly it's the biggest city in America and we should have again a sing a singular large uh well resourced and uh technically proficient department to handle all this construction and as you said you've seen a lot of old And sometimes buildings are not great repair. Correct. Right. I mean, New York City is an old city as well. It's big, but it's also old. And the building that uh lost the uh one wall yesterday was almost 100 years old. Uh there and that's a particular type of construction that's very common throughout the entire city. Uh basically brick walls, wooden structural members inside, beams and columns, floors, roofs. Um that's very common. And it's not uncommon to find structural distress in those
buildings anyway cuz they're very old. And so when you add in the complications of having uh a collapse of a retaining system adjacent to that building, uh it's, you know, I could see the connection between both of them. An older building not capable withstanding that kind of agitation, if you want to call it that, uh from that collapse. Glenn Corbett, professor of fire science at John J. Uh we appreciate your time and thank you so much indeed and we look forward to speaking to you again. Thank you D. All right, the investigation into what caused the deadly collapse is just beginning. Investigative reporter Masa Sayedi has more.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez at the scene of the deadly building collapse Thursday. Gonzalez says his office is working to determine whether any criminal conduct contributed to this tragedy. I am angry. Rachel Cyperian is among those frustrated by the pace of new construction. I hate it. We hate it. You'll come by, this will be demolished and it'll be up tomorrow is up. But did the construction next door play any role in this collapse? That remains under investigation. On Thursday, we spoke with people who live and work nearby to learn what they saw and heard.
Had you heard the bangs before yesterday? Yeah, but not as loud. Williams says he heard the banging from the morning until when the building collapsed. The Department of Buildings says the developer had an active permit for excavation and foundation work. Officials confirmed crews were digging at the adjacent lot when the three-story building collapsed into it. Sean Cassid owns a nearby furniture store. He shared these two cell phone videos recorded immediately after the collapse. There was dust and people were running away. That was a horrible thing to see. Cassid says construction had been ongoing for months, but he believes work had recently resumed after a pause.
It's been ongoing for a long time, but they I guess they were constantly being stopped from doing it. Um, but they like resumed work for like the past two months. For now, investigators have not determined what caused the collapse. And while neighbors recall what they heard and saw, the question remains whether any of it was connected to what happened here Wednesday in Flatbush, Brooklyn. I'm Moss Say, CBS News New York. From the investigation to the cleanup and recovery, CBS News York has you covered. We're following every development on the air and online at cbsnew york.com.
