The blast, according to a Reuters witness, occurred on 23rd Street, a major east-west thoroughfare. 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. Probing report of an explosion: policePolice and fire representatives said they were investigating reports of an explosion. The blast, according to a Reuters witness, occurred on 23rd Street, a major east-west thoroughfare in the fashionable downtown neighborhood of Chelsea. Hundreds of people were seen fleeing down the block on a cool early autumn evening, as police cordoned off the area.

Source: The Hindu September 18, 2016 02:03 UTC