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Harlem Explosion Kills At Least 3 And Levels 2 Buildings

An explosion in NYC’s Harlem neighborhood has leveled two buildings and killed at least three people.

It all started with the smell of gas around two East Harlem buildings by 116th Street and Park Avenue. The scent of gas was detectable the night before the incident.

Wednesday, at 9:13 AM, a call to Consolidated Edison came in. The smell of gasoline had become stronger than it was the previous night. Not even twenty minutes after the call came in, an explosion leveled the buildings.

Tremors from the blast could be felt more than a mile away.

According to city officials, the blast was a result of a gas leak. The explosion blew out windows, injured more than a couple dozen people, killed at least three, and reduced two buildings to rubble.

The NY Daily News reported that a water main had collapsed onto the gas line, eventually causing the explosion.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated at a news conference that there wasn’t enough warning to have safely evacuated the area. He was quoted by The New York Times as having said:

This is a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication in time to save people. [The search] will take quite a bit of time.

The explosion disrupted Metro-North service, however, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority indicated today that they had restored all Metro-North Railroad service into and exiting Grand Central Terminal.

Rescue and recovery efforts continue at this time.

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