A loud explosion shook the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night, prompting New York City police and fire department personnel to swarm the area, a Reuters witness said.
Injured people were seen being taken away from the apparent scene of the blast in ambulances, but the severity of their injuries was not immediately clear. A car seen driving through the area had its rear window blown out.
New York's Fire Department has confirmed that 29 people were injured in the blast.
Police and fire representatives said they were investigating the explosion. CNN has reported that a law enforcement insider has said that gas has been ruled out as the cause.
The city's mayor Bill de Blasio has said early indications suggest the explosion "was an intentional act."
A damaged postal box seen after the explosion in an image shared on social media
REUTERS
New York City firefighters stand near the site of an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York
A second site is currently being investigated.
Hundreds of people were seen fleeing down the road, as police cordoned off the area.
"It was really loud, it hurt my eardrums. My 10-year-old boy was sat in the back seat of the car, and the explosion blew the back window out," said Tsi Tsi Mallett, who was in a car driving along 23rd Street when the explosion took place. Her son was not injured.
REUTERS
New York City police and firefighters stand near the site of an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York
REUTERS
New York City firefighters stand near the site of an explosion in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York
Neha Jain, 24, who lives in the neighborhood, said she was sitting in her room watching a movie when she suddenly heard a huge boom and everything shook.
"Pictures on my wall fell, the window curtain came flying as if there was a big gush of wind. Then we could smell smoke. Went downstairs to see what happened and firemen immediately told us to go back."
The blast occurred on 23rd Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in the fashionable downtown neighborhood of Chelsea.
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