EAST VILLAGE — The body of Moises Locon Yac, who was killed in the East Village gas explosion two weeks ago, will be sent back to his native country on Wednesday, the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
Locon Yac, 26, was busing tables at Sushi Park, at 121 Second Ave., on March 26 when a gas explosion ripped through the building, killing him and a customer, 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa.
Their bodies were recovered from the rubble days later, sources said.
About 60 people mourned Locon Yac at a funeral service Tuesday morning at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica, Queens, according to the Rev. Pedro Guerrero, who officiated his service.
“I’m always going to miss him. I love him. He was my best friend,” co-worker Hugo Ortega, who was also at the restaurant when the explosion occurred, told the New York Times. “He was a very good person. Everyone loved him very much.”
Figueroa’s funeral also took place Monday morning in the Upper West Side.
Once DNA testing confirmed Locon Yac’s identity, the consulate began the repatriation process, the release said. Guatemala’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs covered the cost, according to the release.
Myriam De la Roca, the head of the Consulate General of Guatemala in New York was not immediately available for comment, but her assistant, Alan Garcia said the consulate also helped with funeral arrangements.
A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help his family and has raised nearly $8,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the website.
Locon Yac’s family in Guatemala is also preparing to hold a funeral, according to the release.
