UPDATE: Manhattan explosion caused by gas leak according to Mayor

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Two people died in a massive explosion at East Harlem while at least18 others were injured. There were also two East Harlem buildings that collapsed following the tremendous gas explosion on Wednesday. According to authorities, residents had complained about the smell of gas for weeks.

Meanwhile, police sources said that at least a dozen people were not yet found and the death toll in relation to the gas explosion could rise.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This is a tragedy of the worst kind. There was a major explosion that destroyed two buildings, the explosion was based on a gas leak.”

According to police officials and firefighters, two five story buildings collapsed to rubble. These buildings were located near the corner of 116th Street on Park Avenue.

A possible gas leak at the building was called to Con Edison around 9:13 a.m. and a truck had been dispatched to address the problem after two minutes. However, the massive explosion had already occurred.

Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesman for Con Edison said, “It certainly has all the marks of such an incident [a gas line explosion]. We are waiting to inspect the lines to determine the cause.”

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