Explosion rocks central New York
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:54 am
One person has been killed and at least 20 others injured when a steam pipe exploded underneath a street in central New York during the evening rush hour.
The explosion in midtown Manhattan sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air and forced the evacuation of nearby streets and Grand Central Station.
The New York Police Department said the incident was not terrorism-related.
Millions of pounds of steam are pumped beneath the streets of New York to help heat and cool thousands of buildings.
The 83-year-old pipe exploded just before 1800 (2200 GMT), sending people running from the scene as steam billowed up from the ground.
As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete
Reggie Evans
In pictures: Manhattan blast
The blast left a crater in the middle of Lexington Avenue and sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air.
Two of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.
It is still unclear exactly what caused the accident, but it may have been due to cold water entering the pipe or a break somewhere else in the system.
It is the largest commercial steam system operated by utility company Consolidated Edison.
'Like a volcano'
Firefighters and emergency crews closed off part of the street between Grand Central and the Chrysler building.
Map of New York
Thousands of commuters were evacuated from the rail hub after workers yelled for them to get out.
A witness, investment banker Heiko Thieme, said the explosion was like a volcano erupting.
"Everybody was a bit confused, everybody obviously thought of 9/11," he told the Associated Press.
Reggie Evans also likened the effect to the attacks on the World Trade Center.
"I saw rocks and pebbles coming down. As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete," he told the Reuters news agency.
"Steam came up and then the ground started breaking up."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg later ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure," he told a news conference.
"The big fear that we have is whether there may or may not have been asbestos released."
Environmental officials have told local residents and workers to stay out of the area or remain indoors while they undertake tests for the construction fibre that has been used to insulate such pipes in the past.
In 1989, three people were killed when a steam pipe ruptured
in the city
Source: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6905738.stm
The explosion in midtown Manhattan sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air and forced the evacuation of nearby streets and Grand Central Station.
The New York Police Department said the incident was not terrorism-related.
Millions of pounds of steam are pumped beneath the streets of New York to help heat and cool thousands of buildings.
The 83-year-old pipe exploded just before 1800 (2200 GMT), sending people running from the scene as steam billowed up from the ground.
As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete
Reggie Evans
In pictures: Manhattan blast
The blast left a crater in the middle of Lexington Avenue and sent clouds of steam, mud and rocks into the air.
Two of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.
It is still unclear exactly what caused the accident, but it may have been due to cold water entering the pipe or a break somewhere else in the system.
It is the largest commercial steam system operated by utility company Consolidated Edison.
'Like a volcano'
Firefighters and emergency crews closed off part of the street between Grand Central and the Chrysler building.
Map of New York
Thousands of commuters were evacuated from the rail hub after workers yelled for them to get out.
A witness, investment banker Heiko Thieme, said the explosion was like a volcano erupting.
"Everybody was a bit confused, everybody obviously thought of 9/11," he told the Associated Press.
Reggie Evans also likened the effect to the attacks on the World Trade Center.
"I saw rocks and pebbles coming down. As I was running I got pelted in the head by rocks and concrete," he told the Reuters news agency.
"Steam came up and then the ground started breaking up."
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg later ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack.
"There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure," he told a news conference.
"The big fear that we have is whether there may or may not have been asbestos released."
Environmental officials have told local residents and workers to stay out of the area or remain indoors while they undertake tests for the construction fibre that has been used to insulate such pipes in the past.
In 1989, three people were killed when a steam pipe ruptured
in the city
Source: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6905738.stm
