Originally published on March 13, 2014<br /><br />The death toll in Wednesday's two-building collapse in New York's Harlem has risen to seven, with four people still missing.<br /> <br />New York rescue personnel spent the morning of March 13 searching the ruins of two collapsed buildings in East Harlem for survivors and bodies. <br /><br /> A large sinkhole — which some residents said they first noticed growing larger several years ago — has made moving heavy machinery into the ruins difficult.<br /> <br />Fires continued to flare up as rescue and construction crews attempted to reach the buildings' basements.<br /><br />Reuters reports the number of dead has now risen to seven, with between 40 to 70 people injured. Four people remain missing.<br /><br />It is now also believed that a water main collapse contributed to the disaster.<br /><br />Officials suspect the water pipe collapsed onto a natural gas pipe, sparking the deadly explosion.<br /><br />Columbia University says the explosion that leveled the buildings registered at just under 5 on the Richter scale, and dust from the debris filled skies more than a day after the powerful blast.
