Photographer who witnessed 9/11 captures the frantic aftermath of last week's East Village blast in powerful images which recall the panic of that day
- Nathan Blaney was in a bar feet from the sushi restaurant in East Village when he heard the blast
- He rushed out to see smoke pouring from the building as it slowly collapsed
- Poignant collection of photographs documents passers-by, workers and officers scramble to respond
- Two men, 23-year-old male model Nicholas Figueroa and 26-year-old busboy Moises Locon, were declared missing
- Authorities pulled two bodies from the rubble; identified one as that of Figueroa; investigation continues
With one sonic boom, three buildings were blown into oblivion.
The horrific gas explosion in East Village on Thursday brought Manhattan to a standstill and left a lingering fear about the city-wide, never-ending building works.
Two young men are still unaccounted for; two bodies were pulled from the rubble.
Revered photographer Nathan Blaney, who captured the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, was sat feet away in Bull McCabe's bar when the now-destroyed sushi restaurant erupted.
This is the moment emergency services rushed to a gas explosion which blew three East Village buildings into oblivion on Thursday
Poignant: Revered photographer Nathan Blaney, who captured the 9/11 attacks, was around the corner and documented the scene
Fears: A residents kneels and anxiously clings to an escape ladder as the buildings around her disintegrate
Workers from Con Edison reportedly visited the building for about 45 minutes. After they left, the owner of the sushi bar smelled gas
Onlookers gather and tend to people on the ground as the entire front of the restaurant collapsed onto the sidewalk
Sprinting out the door, he grabbed his camera and documented the scene in a poignant collection of images.
Like his shots of the Twin Towers in 2001, the black smoke pouring out of the East Village cafes and apartments is eerily still in Blaney's photographs.
People are seen walking past covering their faces as an acrid smell permeated the streets.
Faceless characters drag a man from the wreckage.
And a woman kneels, crying, on an escape ladder as the building disintegrates.
Faceless characters drag a man from the wreckage. Two bodies were found among the debris on Sunday and two men are missing
In shock: A worker, his face covered in blood and contorted in pain, cries as he is surrounded by first responders
Helping everybody out: An off-duty firefighter climbs down the escape route of building 121 after rushing to help. The building is one of three that is now destroyed
Ripped apart: The front of the building came clean off, exposing bedrooms and offices which later crumbled
Workers can be seen climbing out of the restaurant as the smell of gas lingered
The entire block has been shut off by authorities since Thursday as teams worked around the clock to wade through the rubble
Blaney, the photographer was in a bar nearby when he heard the blast and ran to the scene
New Yorkers covered their faces as an acrid smell permeated the streets as far as five blocks away
Emergency: Eventually, the fire service blocked off the route and officers flooded the area to search for trapped victims
Panic: In the first few minutes, people were shouting 'bomb' and NYPD detectives were scrambling to handle the situation
The smoke and fire continued to pour into the sky until the early hours of Friday morning
Shock: As firefighters are lifted in a crane to search for residents, onlookers stare
An apparent police detective speaks over a walkie talker as fire fighters approach the thick smoke
'In those first moments, people were saying "bomb" rather than "gas explosion" but either way, I had a sense of what images I was looking for. As the scene evolved, I tried to document the events as they unfolded', Blaney told Mashable.
He said that, since 9/11, he is never without a camera.
'I was happy that those who were injured were getting plenty of immediate appropriate attention, and I heard at least one person identify themselves as a doctor, so although conflicted, I was okay with sticking to my role in documenting the event,' he told the site.
On Sunday night, authorities identified one of the bodies as 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, a former model for Hollister who had been on a second date at Sushi Park with his Bowlmor Lanes colleague.
His date, 22-year-old Theresa Galarza, was pictured at the scene being fitted with a neck brace after she was reportedly hurled across the street by the force of the suspected gas explosion.
Fearful: People on the ground shout up to a woman who stands, looking terrified, about 20 feet above the ground
Helped down: A man climbs up the ladder, which appears to be dented by the blast, to help the woman
Destroyed: Bikes, chairs, walls, cabinets, clothes and curtains lie in a slump on the ground
Lingering smoke: Like his 9/11 photographs, Blaney's images are poignant and still
Crest-fallen: Pedestrians bow their heads in shock walking past the wreckage
Disbelief: Craning their necks, the crowd appears still as they survey the building
A man sits on the tarmac, shoeless, looking exhausted and staring into the distant as the impact sets in
She was later admitted to Bellevue Hospital with a broken nose and punctured lung.
It is believed Figueroa was standing with 26-year-old busboy Moises Locon when the building exploded.
Locon has yet to be accounted for as officers work to identify the second body found among the debris.
Four of the 22 people injured remain in critical condition. Eighteen of the 22 suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Workers from Con Edison reportedly visited the building (121) for about 45 minutes, the Times reports. After the workers left, the owner of the sushi bar reported smelling gas to the building's owner.
The explosion occurred 15 minutes later as workers went to look in the basement.
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