At Least 25 Poeple Injured As A Powerful Explosion Rocks New York

At Least 25 Poeple Injured As A Powerful Explosion Rocks New York

At least 25 people have been injured in an explosion that rocked the Chelsea neighbourhood of Manhattan, New York, which occurred at around 8:30pm last night.

According to the New York Times, the blast which came from a dumpster blew out windows and forced the closure of nearby blocks. The Fire Department says that none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

A powerful explosion caused by what the authorities believe was a homemade bomb injured at least 29 people on a crowded sidewalk in the bustling Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan on Saturday night, according to the authorities, who later found and removed what they described as a second explosive device four blocks away.

Mayor Bill de Blasio called the explosion “an intentional act” but initially said there was no connection to terrorism. He cautioned that the authorities had just begun their investigation into the blast, which reverberated across a city scarred by terrorism and vigilant about threats just days after the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“Whatever the cause,” Mr. de Blasio said, “New Yorkers will not be intimidated.”

The explosion’s aftermath prompted the shutdown of a wide swath of Manhattan south of Midtown. The Police Department said at 1:15 a.m. that 14th Street to 32nd Street was closed to traffic between Fifth and Eighth Avenues until further notice.

A grim Mr. de Blasio, speaking at a news conference at the scene, said “injuries are significant.” But for the moment, he said, none of them were life-threatening.

Many of the injuries were caused by shrapnel from the explosion, which witnesses said seemed to have come from a sidewalk Dumpster on West 23rd Street near the Avenue of Americas. Images of a twisted Dumpster in the middle of 23rd Street quickly proliferated on Twitter.

There are no official reports on what caused the explosion. However, the city Mayor Bill de Blasio said the explosion was an “intentional act”, but there are no confirmation that it is an act of terrorism.

Reacting to the development, the White House issued a statement saying that President Obama is now aware of the explosion.

“The president has been apprised of the explosion in New York City, the cause of which remains under investigation. The president will be updated as additional information becomes available,” the statement said.

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