NYC buildings explosion kills three, others missing

Hundreds of firefighters were scouring the mounds of debris for survivors and trapped bodies. Two women were killed and the body of another person was found in the rubble late in the day, raising the death toll to three, a police spokesman said.

De Blasio said there were “a number” of people missing.

“This is a tragedy because there was no time to warn people ahead of time,” de Blasio said. “We are expending every effort to locate each and every loved one.”

Of those injured, one was in critical condition and most suffered cuts, broken bones and smoke inhalation, authorities said.

At least three children were among the injured. Two of them were treated for minor injuries and released, while a third is in critical condition, hospital officials told a news conference.

Neighbors said they thought an earthquake was shaking them from their beds and breakfast tables. The explosion, which could be heard from blocks away, shattered windows around the neighborhood.

“I heard a big explosion. Boom!” said Aisha Watts, who lives in the building next door.

“The walls started crumbling down. The windows were gone,” said Watts. The mother of three said she feared she would die but was soon rescued by a neighbor who kicked down the jammed door to her home.

Six blocks away, Robert Pauline’s apartment was rocked by the explosion.

“All of a sudden the whole building shook. We had no idea what was going on,” said the 56-year-old Columbia University data processor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *