Second Body Found In Rubble Of Borough Park Explosion, Investigators Consider Suicide As Cause Of Blast

A second body was removed from the rubble of a deadly explosion that blew off the front of a Borough Park apartment building Saturday.

While the medical examiner has not yet confirmed the identity of the body, 47-year-old mom Franchezka Figueroa, who lived on the second floor of 4206 13th Avenue, has been missing since the blast.

Ligia Puello, 64, who lived on the building’s third floor, was also killed by the force, and 13 others were injured, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office.

Figueroa, who was in the process of moving out of her apartment, had been trying to disconnect a luxury stove that belonged to her and had been on the phone with her sister right before the explosion, according to reports. DNAInfo reports that family members and friends gathered outside the apartment building this week, searching for answers about the mother of three.

“She was a beautiful person, a very caring person,” said Sara Diaz, 56, who is the godmother to Figueroa’s daughter, told the outlet.

Investigators say they are looking into suicidal statement Figueroa made on Facebook and in text messages to loved ones as a possible cause for the explosion, but the woman’s family members say she would never do something like that, according to CBS.

Five buildings were evacuated in the aftermath of the blaze, and two were demolished to speed up the search process, according to authorities. Forty-nine displaced neighbors have been registered with the Red Cross.

In response to the blast, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is working with City Council to create gas safety legislation that would require licensure or certification in order to disconnect, replace, or modify gas line connections between the source and a home appliance.

He noted that “anything in the home that can be a matter of life and death with one wrong turn or one careless action should be better secured.”