Body Recovered From East Village Explosion Site

Sunday afternoon, there was a body recovered from the East Village explosion that demolished three buildings in New York City on Thursday, the New York City Police Department confirmed. In the rubble located at 121 Second Avenue, searchers found the body, though the person has not yet been identified, and it is not yet clear whether it is a man or a woman.

There were two people unaccounted for after the explosion and fire that followed, injuring 25 people. According to the New York Post, Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón were reported missing. The two were both at the Sushi Park restaurant located near the epicenter of the blast; Figueroa was on a date and Locón was working as a busboy.

Officials told ABC News that searching and examining the debris for more human remains and other evidence will continue. Cleanup of the site is expected to take about a week, though it could finish earlier.

Investigators found that seven months ago, the gas line of the building had been "illegally tapped" in a dangerous way, Con Edison said. Utility workers discovered “multiple leaks” in hoses, leading the company to shut off all gas to the building for 10 days. It was later deemed safe to restore service. Officials believe the cause of the explosion was leaking natural gas.