Three dead after buildings collapse

NEW YORK - Three bodies were discovered Wednesday in the wreckage of a pair of collapsed residential buildings.

One of the buildings, a four-story brownstone apartment building, collapsed Tuesday night on a quiet street in Brooklyn, bringing down much of an adjacent three-story building. The roof of the first building fell without breaking, making it more difficult for rescue workers to look for survivors underneath.

After hours of painstaking digging by hand, firefighters made their first grisly discovery: the body of Leonard Walit, 72, buried beneath 4 feet of rubble.

Several hours later, rescue workers found the body of Khay Cochran, 74. And late Wednesday night, the body of Harriet Walit was found.

Authorities said the collapse of two buildings was possibly tied to a gas leak, although KeySpan Energy said it was too early to determine a cause. Late Wednesday, a city official said authorities were also investigating a report that a new gas dryer had been installed in the building that collapsed.

The collapsed building was home to the Walits, who were fixtures in the neighborhood for 30 years, and co-owned the building next door. Both the Walits and Cochran had apparently gone inside after smelling gas, authorities said.

''They were good neighbors, and good people,'' said Jack Lucas, head of the block association, which had been planning its party for Saturday.