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At least two people are confirmed dead and 22 injured following a suspected gas explosion
that caused two buildings to collapse in Upper Manhattan. More people are feared to be trapped
in the debris and emergency services are scouring the wreckage for survivors and trapped bodies.
The New York Fire Department is working at the scene, getting injured people to safety
in waiting ambulances.
The explosion happened at around 9am local time at East 116th Street and Park Avenue
in Harlem, a largely Latino neighbourhood. The blast was said to be so loud that it shattered
windows and was heard from many blocks away.
Local resident Angelica Aviles was asleep when the explosion woke her.
Yes, I didn't know what was going on. Things fell off my window sill, everything was scattered.
It was just - I didn't know what was going on. Not to mention that all I heard was this
big explosion and then I'm stuck inside my house.
Clouds of thick smoke billowed from the rubble of the apartment buildings - which had sat
above a ground-level church and a piano store. At a press conference, officials said the
blast occurred just 15 minutes after a resident had called a local utilities company to report
a smell of gas.
New York's Mayor Bill De Blasio arrived on the scene to offer assurance to New Yorkers
and President Obama sent his condolences to the victims' families.