Two bodies were recovered from the burnt building on Second Avenue through the help of cadaver dogs that sniffed their locations.

The New York Daily News reports that the corpses belong to two young men. The first body was that of 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa who dined at the Sushi Bar inside the building on East Village. The second was that of 26-year-old Moises Lucon who worked in the restaurant.

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The diggers were assisted by cranes that hoisted debris and a front loader that pushed twisted metal and small pieces of furniture into a pile on the street.

Figueroa ate at Sushi Bar with a female friend and stood up to pay the US$13 bill when the explosion occurred. He female friend survived because she was blown onto the street. He and the woman were co-workers at the Bowlmor Lanes at Chelsea Piers.

His relatives confirmed that Figueroa's bank records showed that he just settled the bill when the explosion occurred at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday. Figueroa's body was intact and not burned when firefighters found it.

Unfortunately for Lucon, an immigrant from Guatemala, his body was badly damaged that DNA testing needs to be done to confirm that it is him. However, his relatives, who witnessed the recovery of his body, are already grieving for him.

The Thursday fire caused three of four buildings that caught fire to collapse, while 11 buildings were evacuated, resulting in residents of 144 apartments becoming homeless, reports Reuters.

Probers are looking into if there was gas and plumbing work done in one building that possibly caused the explosion. Utility Con Edison reported that during a visit in August, its crew found dangerous gas connections that created a hazardous situation.

TagsNYC explosion, dead bodies, Second Avenue, East Village