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Funeral To Be Held For Victim In East Village Explosion

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- One of the two victims in the East Village explosion and building collapses will be laid to rest on Tuesday.

A wake is being held Monday for Nicholas Figueroa at the Ortiz Funeral Home. Viewing hours are 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

A funeral service is planned Tuesday morning. Friends and family will gather at 9 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus on the Upper West Side.

Figueroa was inside the Sushi Park restaurant on Second Avenue when the explosion happened on March 26, leveling three buildings and sparking an intense fire.

His body, as well as the body of restaurant worker Moises Locon, was found by search crews on March 29.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the explosion, although they have said it appears to be natural gas-related.

Inspectors said newly installed piping in the building that exploded had a lock on it. Con Edison did not want anyone using the plumbing, because it had failed inspection less than an hour before.

Sources told CBS2 plumbers may have tapped into a gas line from another room or a different building as a way to get around the locked pipe illegally. It remains unclear whether that, or something else, caused the explosion.

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