2 bodies found in debris of NYC building blast
Two bodies were found Sunday in the rubble of one of the New York City buildings that collapsed after a massive fire Thursday, injuring 22 people, police said.
The bodies had not immediately been identified. Nicholas Figueroa, 23, and Moises Locon, 27, were reported missing after the blast. Both were thought to have been in a restaurant in one of the buildings.
Witness accounts said the two men were in close proximity to each other just before the blast, so they were anticipating that both would be found near each other in the rubble, WABC-TV reported.
Two buildings were destroyed and two others were severely damaged in the blast in Manhattan's East Village, city authorities said.
The injury count included four firefighters and one paramedic or emergency medical technician, fire officials said. Four people were hospitalized in critical condition.
On Sunday, searchers used cranes, rakes, face masks and hard hats to sift slowly through debris.
The explosion was blamed on a gas leak, but the investigation was continuing. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week the preliminary investigation results showed "there may have been an inappropriate accessing" of the gas line.
Consolidated Edison said it had a crew in the basement of one of the buildings less than two hours before the blast to meet with contractors about pipes installed in preparation for a gas service upgrade.
The utility crew found that additional work was needed and left about 45 minutes later without no indication of a gas leak, officials said. Con Edison President Craig Ivey said the gas utility crew's findings meant gas was not yet flowing to the new pipes on Thursday.
The owner of the Sushi Park restaurant located on the building's first floor smelled gas 15 minutes later, at approximately 3 p.m., officials said. He notified the building owner, who contacted a contractor. The fire department received the first emergency 911 call 17 minutes later.
One of the building contractors and a relative of the five-story structure's owner were among those injured in the explosion and fire, officials said.
Tyler Figueroa told the Associated Press Thursday night that his 23-year-old brother, Nicholas, disappeared after going on a date at the Sushi Park restaurant.
Figueroa said that the couple was paying for their meal when the explosion rocked the building and surrounding area. Nicholas Figueroa's date, who has been hospitalized with injuries, remembers only stumbling outside before losing consciousness, the brother told the Associated Press.
"I just pray my brother shows up," he said.
Contributing: Kevin McCoy
