After several houses collapsed as a result of a violent explosion, the New York authorities searched for two missing persons on Friday. The media reported that they were a guest at a sushi restaurant and an assistant waiter. Apparently gas and plumbing work in the restaurant triggered the accident. At least 25 people were injured, four seriously, according to authorities.
After a loud explosion, a multi-storey residential and commercial building in the East Village went up in flames on Thursday and partially collapsed. Two neighboring buildings also collapsed. More than 200 firefighters were on duty and continued to fight smaller fires at the site of the accident on Friday. According to the city administration, the ruins are to be demolished.
© Reuters/Scott Westerfeld
The house is on fire
“It was incredibly loud and the windows shook,” said a 23-year-old student who was visiting a friend two doors away. The television showed dramatic images of people fleeing the sushi restaurant in a panic after the explosion. “What happened? Oh God!” Shouts a woman.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said initial investigations indicated a gas explosion. The Red Cross set up an emergency camp in a school to take care of the homeless residents of the houses. A total of six buildings were evacuated.
© Reuters/Scott Westerfeld
Dark clouds of smoke over Manhattan
A year ago, eight people were killed when two apartment buildings collapsed after a gas explosion in New York’s Harlem district. Dozens of people suffered injuries at the time.