Multiple fatalities reported after NYC buildings collapse in explosion
A seventh person has died after two New York City buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion apparently caused by a gas leak. The number of those injured in the incident is now “close to 60”, police spokesman Detective Marc Nell said, with several more victims feared trapped in the rubble.
Nell also said the seventh victim of Wednesday’s blast was pulled from the buildings’ rubble, adding that no one had died at a hospital.
The blast, which scattered debris across nearby rooftops, brought down the adjoining five-story buildings, with a total of 15 apartments, at about 9:30 a.m. on a largely residential Upper Manhattan block at East 116th Street and Park Avenue.
- Heavy smoke pours from the debris as the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) responds to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- A ladder truck pours water as the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- A victim is evacuated by emergency personal near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- A victim is evacuated by emergency personal near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- Smoke fills East 116th street near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- A man carries a child wrapped in a blanket on East 116th street away from an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- Firefighters go through debris and rubble at the site of a building collapse and fire in Harlem, New York, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. Television images showed heavy smoke and dust rising from the structure at East 114th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, which reportedly collapsed at about 9 a.m. (1300 GMT). (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at the site of a building collapse in Harlem, New York, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. Television images showed heavy smoke and dust rising from the structure at East 114th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, which reportedly collapsed at about 9 a.m. (1300 GMT). (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
- Smoke fills East 116th street near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- A firefighter stands in smoke filled East 116th street near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- Firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- Residents watch from the side lines of a building collapse in Harlem, New York, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in a largely residential block of Upper Manhattan on Wednesday and the New York City Fire Department was searching for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. Television images showed heavy smoke and dust rising from the structure at East 114th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, which reportedly collapsed at about 9 a.m. (1300 GMT). (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
- Fire fighters on East 116th street pour water on an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in Upper Manhattan on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen, setting off a search for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- New York City Fire Department firefighters at the scene of an explosion and building collapse at Park Avenue and East 116th Street March 12, 2014 in the Harlem section of New York. A residential building exploded and collapsed on Wednesday, sparking a serious fire and engulfing the area in thick smoke, officials said. Local TV stations reported that several people had sustained minor injuries in the incident at 116th Street and Park Avenue. TV footage showed debris strewn across the street. “It was an explosion and a building collapsed,” a spokesman for New York Police Department told AFP, giving no further details. One person has been confirmed dead. (STan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)
- Smoke and steam rises from the scene as firefighters from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)
- A victim is evacuated by emergency personal near an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York City, March 12, 2014. A building collapsed in Upper Manhattan on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen, setting off a search for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
- New York City Fire Department firefighters at the scene of an explosion and building collapse at Park Avenue and East 116th Street March 12, 2014 in the Harlem section of New York. A residential building exploded and collapsed on Wednesday, sparking a serious fire and engulfing the area in thick smoke, officials said. Local TV stations reported that several people had sustained minor injuries in the incident at 116th Street and Park Avenue. TV footage showed debris strewn across the street. “It was an explosion and a building collapsed,” a spokesman for New York Police Department told AFP, giving no further details. One person has been confirmed dead. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
- A man watches from a window as emergency personnel respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 16 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- A member of the New York Police Department (NYPD) gestures as as emergency personnel respond to a 5-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 16 injured. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
- New York City Fire Department firefighters at the scene of an explosion and building collapse at Park Avenue and East 116th Street March 12, 2014 in the Harlem section of New York. A residential building exploded and collapsed on Wednesday, sparking a serious fire and engulfing the area in thick smoke, officials said. Local TV stations reported that several people had sustained minor injuries in the incident at 116th Street and Park Avenue. TV footage showed debris strewn across the street. “It was an explosion and a building collapsed,” a spokesman for New York Police Department told AFP, giving no further details. One person has been confirmed dead. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)
- A firefighter near the scene of a gas leak explosion that caused two buildings to collapse on Park Avenue and 116th street in East Harlem in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 17 injured. (Photo by Christopher Gregory/Getty Images)
- Firefighters walk though smoke at the site of a building collapse in Harlem, New York March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
- Smoke billows from the site of a building collapse as debris litters railway tracks in this aerial photograph taken over Harlem, New York on March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. During the morning commute, trains were stopped in nearby stations because of debris on the tracks and passengers were ordered off the Metro-North Railroad cars at the Fordham stop in the Bronx, passengers said. (REUTERS/Mike Isler/NYonAir)
- Screens are seen near the rubble at an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
- Firemen stand in the rubble at an apparent building explosion fire and collapse in the Harlem section of New York, in this picture provided by the New York City Mayor’s Office March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Rob Bennett/New York City Mayor’s Office/Handout)
- Firefighters search the site of a building collapse in Harlem, New York March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
- New York City firefighters spray water onto the rubble at an apparent building explosion and collapse in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
- Curtains are seen near a building explosion and collapse in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 22, and setting off a search for more feared trapped in the debris, officials said. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
- A Google Street view image shows a before picture of the scene of a building collapse in Upper Manhattan, New York City March 12, 2014. Massive clouds of smoke billowed from the charred rubble of the structure on the largely residential block at East 116th Street and Park Avenue in East Harlem, which reportedly collapsed sometime after 9 a.m. (1300 GMT). (REUTERS/Google Street view/Handout via Reuters)
- New York City firefighters work at the site of a building explosion and collapse in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York City buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 36, and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the rubble, officials said. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
- New York City firefighters respond to a five-alarm fire and building collapse at 1646 Park Ave in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan March 12, 2014 in New York City. Reports of an explosion were heard before the collapse of two multiple-dwelling buildings that left at least 11 injured. Emergency personnel continue the search for around 10 people who remain missing, according to published reports. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)
- New York City emergency responders work at the site of an explosion and collapse of two buildings in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York City buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 36, and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the rubble, officials said. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
- New York City firefighters work at the site of an explosion and collapse of two buildings in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York City buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 36, and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the rubble, officials said. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
- New York City firefighters work at the site of an explosion and collapse of two buildings in the Harlem section of New York, March 12, 2014. Two New York City buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion believed to be caused by a gas leak, killing two people, injuring at least 36, and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the rubble, officials said. (REUTERS/Eric Thayer)
- New York City emergency responders work at the site of a building explosion and collapse in the Harlem section of New York March 12, 2014.Two New York City apartment buildings collapsed on Wednesday in an explosion apparently caused by a gas leak, killing three women, injuring at least 36 people and setting off a search for more victims feared trapped in the rubble, officials said. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
- Local residents walk from their homes, wearing protective, near the site of an explosion and building collapse in East Harlem on March 13, 2014 in New York City. At least 7 people were killed, according to reports, in Wednesday’s explosion which collapsed two buildings on Park Avenue at 116th Street. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
- Firemen watch as work crews remove debris from the site of an explosion in East Harlem on March 13, 2014 in New York City. At least 7 people were killed, according to reports, in Wednesday’s explosion which collapsed two buildings on Park Avenue at 116th Street. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
- Local residents walk from their homes, wearing protective, near the site of an explosion and building collapse in East Harlem on March 13, 2014 in New York City. At least 7 people were killed, according to reports, in Wednesday’s explosion which collapsed two buildings on Park Avenue at 116th Street. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Clouds of thick smoke billowed from the rubble of the apartment houses that had sat above a ground-level church and a piano store in a largely Latino working-class neighborhood.
Pockets of fire and heat smoldered inside the mounds of debris for many hours after the blasts, complicating search-and-rescue operations that continued under flood lights through the night, city Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella said.
He said city officials estimated that nine people were still missing as of midnight, though a city police spokesman put the number of apartment residents who remained unaccounted for at about five.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, who rushed to the scene in East Harlem, where a cascade of twisted and burnt metal blocked the sidewalk and covered parked cars, said preliminary information showed the explosion was caused by a gas leak.
A six-story building at 116th and Park reportedly "exploded" and may have partially collapsed. http://t.co/M5wXUz2g11 pic.twitter.com/C4P4g8R2iG
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) March 12, 2014
Photo: Scene at the Harlem building collapse (@jackmirkinson) pic.twitter.com/vBPFNU2B6t
— AJAM Live (@ajamlive) March 12, 2014
Officials told a news conference the blast occurred 15 minutes after a resident in an adjacent building called Con Edison to complain of a gas odor.
Edward Foppiano, Con Ed’s vice president for gas operations, said while the utility could not say for certain what caused the explosion, it was treating the incident as a gas leak issue. The utility most recently responded to customer complaint about a gas odor in the area in May, but the issue had been resolved, Foppiano said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was investigating the “gas explosion and subsequent fire.”
Harlem disaster seems to involve two buildings, not one: 1644 & 1646 Park Ave., housing a church and piano store. pic.twitter.com/6ejS0VAytU
— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) March 12, 2014
About sixty other people were listed during the day as injured, most of them suffering cuts, broken bones and smoke inhalation, authorities said.
At least three children were among those hurt. Two were treated for minor injuries and released, while a third was in critical condition, hospital officials told a news conference.
On assignment for @nytimes at 116th st, police clear rear of building: pic.twitter.com/DVLjBxqSdA
— Ashley Gilbertson (@AshGilbertson) March 12, 2014
“This is a tragedy because there was no time to warn people ahead of time,” de Blasio said. “We are expending every effort to locate each and every loved one.”
President Barack Obama was briefed on the collapse and sent his condolences to the victims’ families and his support to first responders at the scene.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted by this incident,” the White House said in a statement.
Crowds of residents, their faces covered with protective scarves and masks, filled the sidewalks of surrounding streets, which were blocked off with yellow police tape.
“It’s a very active scene. It’s a very chaotic scene,” said Fire Department spokesman Michael Parrella.
Fire trucks used high cranes to spray blasts of water into the rubble, as dozens of ambulances and police cruisers with flashing lights swarmed the scene.
– Reuters
Pictures of Gas explosion in Harlem – New York | Viral First
Mar 13, 2014 @ 06:51:51
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