Chaos in Manhattan: 19 people injured in gas explosion, four seriously

Nineteen people were injured, four of them seriously, on Thursday after an explosion, likely caused by gas, which led to the collapse of three buildings and a large fire in the center of New York, reports the Patria news agency.

 

Among the injured, two people suffered severe burns to their airways, and one was thrown by the initial explosion.

Five hours after the fire started, more than 200 firefighters were still battling the blaze that engulfed shops and apartments in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan.

A spokeswoman for the fire department said that two buildings - at 121 Second Avenue, the site of the initial explosion, and the adjacent building, as well as the building at 123 of the same avenue - had completely collapsed. A fourth building was severely damaged in the subsequent fire.

According to New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, the initial explosion was caused by work on water and gas pipes on that avenue, in front of the mentioned buildings.

The Red Cross organized emergency accommodation in a nearby school for the residents of the collapsed buildings.

East Village is one of the favorite neighborhoods of artists and wealthy New Yorkers. It contains numerous shops, bars, and restaurants.

Last year, eight people died in a fire caused by a gas leak explosion in the New York neighborhood of Harlem.