New York explosion: Twenty-nine injured in blast in Chelsea district of city

Jason Collie18 September 2016

At least 29 people have been injured in an explosion outside a home for the blind in New York.

A second device - said to be a pressure cooker attached to wiring and a mobile phone - was also found in the Chelsea section of Manhattan and taken away, officials have confirmed.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said authorities believe the explosion was an "intentional act" but is not linked to terrorism.

The explosion in a busy neighbourhood happened at about 8.30pm New York time on Saturday (1.30am Sunday UK time) on West 23rd Street, leaving one person seriously hurt.

The rest of the victims are believed to have suffered minor injuries.

Mr de Blasio said: "Tonight, New York City experienced a very bad incident.

Help: A police officer escorts an injured man away from the scene (AP Photo/Nico Maounis)
Nico Maounis/AP

"We have no credible and specific threat at this moment."

He said the blast was "an intentional act" but tried to calm any fears among nervous New Yorkers, saying there was no evidence of a link to terrorism, and no connection with a pipe bomb explosion earlier on Saturday at a New Jersey charity run.

The blast happened on West 23rd Street, in front of a residence for the blind, near a major thoroughfare with many restaurants and a Trader Joe's supermarket.

A law enforcement official said the it appears to have come from a construction toolbox in front of a building. New York officials said the incident was not due to a gas leak, as some initial reports had suggested.

Photos from the scene show a twisted and crumpled black metal box.

The official told The Associated Press the second device that officers were investigating four blocks was found inside a plastic bag on West 27th Street.

Reaction: Firefighters arrive in West 23rd Street (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Andres Kudacki/AP

Witnesses say the explosion blew out the windows of businesses and scattered debris in the area. Officials said no evacuations were necessary.

Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said several people were taken to hospital with injuries.

One of those hurt suffered a puncture wound that was considered serious. He said the other injuries were described as scrapes and bruises.

Police spokesman J Peter Donald tweeted a warning to residents near the second site that officials are investigating, saying: "As a precautionary measure, we are asking residents who live on West 27th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan to stay away from windows facing 27th Street until we clear the suspicious."

A number of New York City subway routes were affected by the explosion.

Explosion: Police have cordoned off part of the area (AP)
Andres Kudacki/AP

Chris Gonzalez, visiting from Dallas, was having dinner with friends at a restaurant in the area.

"We felt it, we heard it, the restaurant went real quiet, the 26-year-old said. "It wasn't like jolting or anything, everyone just went quiet."

Rudy Alcide, a bouncer at Vanity Nightclub at 21st Street and 6th Avenue, said he, at first, thought something large had fallen.

Emergency: Police and firefighters work near the scene of an apparent explosion in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood (AP)
Andres Kudacki/AP

"It was an extremely loud noise, everything was shaking, the windows were shaking, it was crazy," he said. "It was extremely loud, almost like thunder, but louder."

The FBI and Homeland Security officials, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arson and explosive task force are also at the scene.

New York: Firefighters at the scene (REUTERS)
Rashid Umar Abbasi/Reuters

The White House said President Barack Obama has been told of the explosion and will be updated as additional information becomes available.

The blast came hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, shortly before thousands of runners participated in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors.

No-one was hurt.

Meanwhile, in St Cloud, Minnesota, police said multiple people were injured at a shopping mall on Saturday evening in an attack that possibly involved both a shooting and stabbing. The suspect was believed to be dead.

Hillary Clinton said she has been briefed "about the bombings in New York and New Jersey and the attack in Minnesota."

The Democratic presidential candidate said the nation needs to support its first responders and "pray for the victims".

She said: "We have to let this investigation unfold."

Reaction: Hillary Clinton talks to reporters
REUTERS

Her Republican rival Donald Trump declared a "bomb went off" in New York before officials had released details.

He made the announcement minutes after stepping off his plane during a rally at an airport hangar in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"I must tell you that just before I got off the plane a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows what's going on," Mr Trump said.

He continued: "But boy we are living in a time - we better get very tough, folks. We better get very, very tough. It's a terrible thing that's going on in our world, in our country and we are going to get tough and smart and vigilant."

The reports of a possible blast come hours after a pipe bomb exploded in Seaside Park, New Jersey, shortly before thousands of runners participated in a charity 5K race to benefit Marines and sailors. No injuries were reported.

This story is being updated

Additional reporting by the Press Association

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT