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| New York City building collapses after gas leak leads to Harlem explosion | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An explosion caused the swift and entire collapse of two buildings in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York on Wednesday, causing at least two deaths and 18 injuries. | |
| Smoke poured from the rubble at the site of the incident on Park Avenue as first responders investigated the chaotic scene. The site is next to a commuter train line and a few blocks away from the north border of Central Park. | |
| “This is a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication in time to save people,” New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. | |
| De Blasio said the explosion was caused by a gas leak and that utility company Con Edison was in the process of shutting off all gas lines into in the building. | |
| More than 250 firefighters were on the scene, working to contain a heavy fire that resulted from the explosion and to conduct search and rescue efforts. De Blasio said that a thorough search would be conducted to find missing people, though he did not confirm how many were unaccounted for. | |
| “This is going to be an extended operation,” said De Blasio. He said there were “a number of missing individuals” and that at least two people had died and at least 18 were injured. | |
| Con Edison, the utility company, received a call from a neighbouring building about a possible gas leak at 9.13am. Residents heard a large explosion around 9.30am and the New York fire department received its first call about the incident at 9.31am. | |
| A Con Edison crew arrived just after the explosion occurred. “From what we know, the only indication came about 15 minutes earlier when a gas leak was reported to Con Edison,” De Blasio said. | |
| New York fire department commissioner Salvatore Cassano said that firefighters could have died had they arrived at the scene any earlier. | |
| Con Edison said it had shut off gas to the block. “We’re working with the FDNY and checking gas lines,” said company spokesman Bob McGhee. “We’re working to isolate any leaks and make the area safe.” | |
| The East Harlem neighborhood stood at a standstill as police set up barricades to keep residents away from the building that was still spewing thick, acrid smoke into the air. Some people wore surgical masks while others held their hands or scarves over their faces. | The East Harlem neighborhood stood at a standstill as police set up barricades to keep residents away from the building that was still spewing thick, acrid smoke into the air. Some people wore surgical masks while others held their hands or scarves over their faces. |
| Sidewalks for blocks around were littered with broken glass from shattered storefront and apartment windows. Witnesses say the blast, on Park Avenue at 116th Street, was so powerful it knocked groceries off the shelves of nearby stores. | |
| “It felt like an earthquake had rattled my whole building,” said Waldemar Infante, 24, a porter from a nearby residential building who was working in the basement when the explosion occurred. “There were glass shards everywhere on the ground and all the stores had their windows blown out.” | “It felt like an earthquake had rattled my whole building,” said Waldemar Infante, 24, a porter from a nearby residential building who was working in the basement when the explosion occurred. “There were glass shards everywhere on the ground and all the stores had their windows blown out.” |
| The two destroyed buildings, 1644 and 1646 Park Avenue, were both five-storey brick apartment buildings. One had a piano store on street level, the other a storefront church. | |
| Metro-North train service was suspended in both directions. The Metropolitan Transit Authority said: “All train service into and out of Grand Central terminal is temporarily suspended until further notice due to a building explosion adjacent to our tracks.” | Metro-North train service was suspended in both directions. The Metropolitan Transit Authority said: “All train service into and out of Grand Central terminal is temporarily suspended until further notice due to a building explosion adjacent to our tracks.” |
| The Associated Press contributed to this report | The Associated Press contributed to this report |