The morning after a partial building collapse in Flatbush that left eight people dead and at least 18 others injured, rescue crews continued searching through the debris Thursday as heavy rain fell at the scene.
Officials have said additional victims may still be missing, according to ABC7.
James Williams, who said he worked as a bricklayer for 20 years, was at the site Thursday, Nov. 12, and had also been there the night before when the building collapsed.
Williams said he heard construction workers striking the building’s foundation beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, before watching the structure crumble.
“I just said, ‘Oh, God,’ I couldn’t say nothing else,” Williams said in an interview with reporters.
According to the New York Post, the Department of Buildings issued a stop-work order following a March inspection that found the building was being demolished without proper overhead protection.
The department issued a violation at the time, but inspectors found that demolition work had continued by April, in violation of the stop-work order.
Williams expressed frustration that the order had apparently not been followed.
“You have to respond when the city tells you to do something," he said. "They didn’t stop. They kept working."
Vacate order for a nearby building issued Nov. 12, following the Flatbush collapse on Nov. 11. Photo: Howard Weiss for BK Reader
A new complaint, posted on the Department of Buildings’ website, called for an examination of approved excavation drawings for the construction site. The complaint raises questions about whether work at the site may have contributed to the collapse. An investigation is underway.
As of Nov. 12, the city’s Department of Buildings had issued at least one vacate order, requiring the rear yard at 458 E. 25th St. to be cleared.
Construction crews continued using heavy machinery to remove debris and rubble from the site.
“We hope and pray that in Brooklyn and anywhere else that this never happens again,” Williams said.
