As many as 29 people were today injured in an explosion that rocked New York’s busy and upscale neighbourhood also frequented by tourists, authorities said about the “intentional act”, hours before world leaders arrive here for the high-level UN General Assembly session.
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NY mayor Bill de Blasio said the city was on terror alert although there was no evidence yet that it was a terror act.
According to police reports, the explosion occurred on 23rd Street around 8.30pm on Saturday, September 17.
Fire trucks and ambulances converged on the scene after what witnesses described as a “deafening” blast in the Chelsea district of Manhattan around 21:00 (01:00 GMT on Sunday).
The Mayor also added that at this point there is “no specific connection” to the incident in New Jersey earlier in the day in which an explosion occurred in a garbage can.
Meanwhile, Hotel Chinese Association of USA, Inc, a non-profit organization based in NY, said in a statement following the explosion, adding that “every member should obey the city government’s well-known saying “See something say something”.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Police Commissioner James O’Neill said officers from the 10 precinct were on a routine patrol in Chelsea when they witnessed a large explosion in front of 131 West 23rd Street.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and police officials are expected to brief reporters at the scene.
De Blasio said the blast was “an intentional act” and tried to calm any fears among nervous New Yorkers, saying the explosion had no terrorist connection and wasn’t related to a pipe bomb explosion earlier Saturday in New Jersey at a charity run.
None of the injuries appear to be life threatening, the New York City fire department said.
Referring to the explosion, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said tough measures needs to be taken.
The NYPD’s counterterrorism department tweeted out a photo that appears to show a mangled dumpster, calling it an “update” on the 23rd Street explosion.
Chris Gonzalez, visiting from Dallas, was having dinner with friends at a restaurant.
Witnesses say Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security officials are also at the scene.
The 26-year-old said she heard and felt a blast.
No information about injuries or about the extent of the damage was immediately available.
City Councilman Corey Johnson, who represents the area, told cable news station New York 1 that FBI and federal Homeland Security officials were on the scene, in addition to New York City police.
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Firefighters, Police officers, and other media persons rushed to the blast scene, which closed a major roadway, forced people out of nearby buildings.
