UPDATED 4:25 p.m. ET
Three days after an apparent gas-related explosion destroyed three buildings in Manhattan's East Village, the New York Police Department has found two bodies in the rubble.
The NYPD confirmed to Mashable that authorities located two bodies on Sunday, although there are currently limited details about the victims. Just after 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, police said they found the first body.
"We found no identification on the body at this time, so we are moving to medical examiners' office," a department spokesperson said after the first body was found, adding that the office would release more details soon.
Later on, just after 4 p.m., they confirmed that "two bodies have been discovered."
Thursday's explosion left at least 22 people injured (four of them critically) and resulted in two people missing: Nicholas Figueroa, who was on a date at a sushi restaurant affected by the blast, and Moises Lucon, who worked there.
Neal Figueroa, brother of missing Nicholas, is comforted in prayer after learning a body was found in fire rubble. pic.twitter.com/iHR63vkqFb— Nate Schweber (@nateschweber) March 29, 2015
Early evidence suggests that workers in the basement of the exploded building hit a gas main at the time of the powerful blast. ABC 7 obtained security footage of the incident.
As New York City awaits more information, Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press briefing on Friday praised the efforts of first responders and locals who helped building residents and bystanders to safety. "This city knows how to handle adversity. We never welcome it. We know it will come, but we know how to handle it. People band together," he said.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press