Firefighters have uncovered two bodies from the site of the East Village wreckage, the New York Times reports. One of the bodies has been identified as 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, who was on a lunch date at Sushi Park when the Second Avenue building exploded. The other man is thought to be 27-year-old Moises Ismael Locón Yac, a busboy at the same restaurant. The two were the only people reported missing after three buildings collapsed and burst into flames on Thursday.
NY1 reports that 22 people suffered injuries, including 6 firefighters. Four people were critically injured, with one person who is still in the hospital (albeit in good condition).
The fire was officially put out 6 PM Saturday. NY1 reports that as of 7 AM Sunday, “about a third of the debris had been removed from the site” and that on Sunday evening there were still “approximately 50 firefighters remain working at the scene.”
City officials have suggested that the explosion was related to a problem with a gas line.
While investigators continue to sift through the rubble, the site has turned into “a locus for dread, grief and naked curiosity,” as the Times puts it. While Figueroa’s family laid white roses for their deceased family member, others saw the site as a tourist destination and took tasteless selfies there.
Though “40 apartments are ready to reoccupy,” ABC reports, the site will remain a tragic urban wonder a bit longer as crews continue to clear out debris; traffic remains closed on Second Avenue from Fifth Street to 14th Street and on crosstown streets Sixth Street, Seventh Street and St. Marks Place.
(Photo: NYC Mayor’s Office)
