WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The explosion in Lower Manhattan on Thursday followed by a collapse of three buildings injured 22 people and left two individuals unaccounted for, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Friday.
“In terms of the human impact, 22 people were injured,” de Blasio said. “We have two people that we know for sure are unaccounted for.”
The Mayor pointed out that 18 of the victims do not have life-threatening injuries, but four sustained critical injuries.
He noted, however, that the authorities are still gathering information on whether more people are missing.
Smoldering on the incident site continues and it might take up to a week to take debris out of the area, the Mayor said.
The New York City government announced it would provide the displaced from the buildings with temporary and long-term housing.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
According to preliminary reports, three buildings collapsed and one was seriously damaged by fire after a gas-related explosion in New York City’s Lower East side on Thursday afternoon.
