New York building blast: Death toll rises to seven, dozens injured

Two buildings in New York`s east Harlem neighbourhood were flattened and in flames due to a possible gas leak, killing seven and injuring dozens.

Zee Media Bureau/Supriya Jha New York: The death toll from the buildings`collapse in New York`s east Harlem, has risen to seven as the rescue operation continued to hunt for five people who remain unaccounted for. As per New York Police Department, four women and three men had been found dead. Two buildings in New York`s neighbourhood were flattened and in flames due to a possible gas leak yesterday morning. A few more people are still missing and death toll is expected to rise further as rescue men continue to comb the rubble for more bodies. The incident is thought to be caused by gas leak and some reports suggest that he residents of the neighbourhood had earlier complained of intolerable stench. The incident took place on Wednesday morning at a residential Upper Manhattan block at East 116th Street and Park Avenue. The first information about it came to light when one of the people in the neighbouring building made a call to the utility company Con Edison, complaining of gas odour just 15 minutes before the explosion. The explosion, reports say, was strong enough to shatter the windows in neighbouring buildings. Witnesses said it felt like an earthquake and sent debris flying through the windows. Hundreds of firefighters were rushed to the buildings to tackle the fire which kept burning for hours.

TV visuals showed thick plumes of smoke billowing out of the buildings as firefighter crew continues rescuing people and ambulances rushing to the site. Also, Metro-North Railroad, which had halted train services through Manhattan while it cleared debris from the tracks, later restored all commuter rail services. Addressing a news conference, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that a “major explosion” had levelled two buildings and that nine people still remained unaccounted for. "There was a major explosion that destroyed two buildings. The explosion was based on a gas leak," de Blasio said. “This is a tragedy of the worst kind because there was no indication in time to save people,” New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said. The utility company Con Edison was in the process of shutting off all gas lines into the building, added the Mayor. The incident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). According to a report by the Associated Press, the residents had complained to he landlord about the strong gas stench just a day ago, on Tuesday. Also, a few weeks ago, city fire officials were called about the smell, the report quoted one of the tenants as saying.