New Zealand police said Tuesday they will launch a criminal investigation into the collapse of a building that claimed the lives of 115 people, including 28 Japanese students, during a magnitude-6.3 earthquake in Christchurch 3½ years ago.

The decision to probe the collapse of the six-story Canterbury Television Building follows an 18-month-long assessment and evaluation of information.

"Based on this information, we now believe there is sufficient evidence to warrant further criminal investigation into the collapse of the CTV building in February 2011," Superintendent Peter Read said in a statement.