Death Toll From NYC Explosion Stands At 8, May Go Higher

By Mark Memmott

Published March 13, 2014 at 7:12 AM CDT

Two buildings collapsed in Harlem on Wednesday after an explosion and fire. Authorities say there were reports of a gas leak shortly before the blast.

This post was updated at 7:22 p.m. ET.

Rescue workers in New York pulled an eighth body out the smoldering rubble of two Harlem buildings that collapsed because of a gas explosion that also injured more than 70 people.

Unfortunately, according to NBC New York, not everyone has been accounted for: Crews are still looking for three people who remain missing.

We began posting about the explosion Wednesday morning. The blast, which came shortly after reports of a gas leak at the location, leveled two buildings that contained a total of 15 apartments as well as several businesses.

As The New York Times says:

"The call to Consolidated Edison came at 9:13 a.m. on Wednesday: The smell of gas, detectable the night before, had strengthened around two buildings by 116th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem.

"Less than 20 minutes later, the buildings were gone, leveled by a tremendous explosion whose tremors could be felt more than a mile away."