- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:25 05:43 12:19 15:46 18:50 20:09
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. (AFP)
A major explosion caused by a gas leak flattened two Manhattan apartment buildings in a fireball Wednesday, killing three people and injuring 63 others.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident "a tragedy of the worst kind" and warned a number of people were still unaccounted for, raising fears of possible further losses.
Firefighters battled throughout the afternoon to extinguish the heavy fire in East Harlem, where witnesses compared the scene of twisted metal, thick white smoke and dusty rubble to a war zone.
The explosion sparked inevitable reminders for some New Yorkers of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 that brought down the Twin Towers. Other witnesses said it felt like an earthquake.
There were 15 apartments in the two buildings that collapsed, de Blasio and city officials told reporters near the scene at 116th Street and Park Avenue, a mainly Latino community.
Around 15 minutes before the blast, energy company Con Edison received a call from an adjoining apartment building alerting maintenance staff to the smell of gas.
The explosion struck around 9:30 am (1330 GMT) and the New York Fire Department said firefighters were on the scene two minutes later.
"There was a major explosion that destroyed two buildings. The explosion was based on a gas leak," de Blasio said.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.