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At least seven people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday in a “major explosion” in New York City that razed two buildings to the ground and caused a five-alarm fire, officials said… The death toll climbed to six early Thursday morning as rescue workers pulled another lifeless body from the mountain of debris at 1644 Park Avenue.
At least 60 were reported injured and another five were still missing as of Thursday morning. Rescue efforts have been hampered by smoldering pockets of fire and a sinkhole caused by a water main break beneath the rubble.
“This is a tragedy of the worse kind because there was no indication in time to save people,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The FBI responded to the incident, but there is no indication of terror or crime, authorities said.
Google images of the building show two commercial storefronts on the ground floor with four floors of residential apartments above those storefronts.
“I was standing in my room when I heard the explosion and the building shook at the same time,” said Rosario Valderdo, who lives in the apartment building next door. “The windows were shattered and I grabbed my dog and went outside. The building had collapsed and there were people underneath it and they were trying to take them away from there.”
Neighbors said shattered glass from nearby storefronts and debris littered the ground following the blast.
“The explosion woke me up. The building shook, my mother’s window fell in,” said neighbor Adam Ocasio. “You could see the smoke and debris as soon as you got outside.”
Brandon Whitaker was also sleeping in his home in the nearby Taft Houses when he was awoken with a start.
“My room shook, I was disoriented,” Whitaker said. “Feels like an earthquake right in your room, an earthquake and a car crash right in your room, that’s loud and abrasive. It was shaking, and I thought the Metro-North [train] had crashed.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
