Mourners gathered Thursday morning in East Harlem to mark one year since the massive natural gas explosion that killed eight people and leveled two buildings.
The explosion happened on Park Avenue near 116th Street around 9:30 a.m. on March 12, 2014.
A moment of silence was observed around the time of the blast.
The ceremony featured remarks from Mayor Bill de Blasio, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, and victims' family members.
"The world has seen what New York is made of time and time again. And we will stand by - as is the New York way - we will stand by these families. We'll make sure that they're needs are answered and those we lost will always be in our thoughts and prayers," De Blasio said.
A choir of school kids from PS57 closed the ceremony with the song Tomorrow from "Annie".
Those who lost a loved one say a year later, it's always a struggle to keep going.
"To this day I feel the same way, nothing changed," said Carmen Pagan, whose son was killed in the explosion.
"We are hoping the city won't forget there was a big tragedy here in East Harlem on March 12th of 2014. That eight people lost their lives in a way that nobody should lose their life," said Liseth Perez-Almeida, whose husband was killed in the blast.
"It's hard for the holiday, the holiday just passed by. It's hard for us. She is always crying. Try to be there for her. Try to hold her up. But still. It's still there. It's not ever going to go," said Samuel Garcia, whose brother was killed in the explosion.
Con Edison says it has increased the frequency of gas leak patrols, and stresses that residents call them or 911 if they smell gas.
In a statement, the company also said, "We remember today all of the people affected by last year's East Harlem tragedy."