While it is unclear at this moment if this is merely the latest casualty of below normal Capex (or was the result of a gas leak), or if there was foul play involved, moments ago the NYC scanner was lit up with reports that a building had collapsed, following an explosion, on 7th street and 2nd avenue, in the East Village in Manhattan.
U/D Manhattan: 125 2 Ave 30 People injuired multiple still trapped. 5th alarm transmitted. #FDNY [6] #BREAKING [7] pic.twitter.com/HVcsNZfxYI [8]
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) March 26, 2015 [9]
NYC | MANHATTAN |**BUILDING COLLAPSE**| 125 2 AVE | 5 STROY MULTIPLE OCCUPIED BUILDING WITH FLOOR COLLAPSES |... http://t.co/OmbtH0Tjzg [10]
— NatEmerAlerts (@NatEmerAlerts) March 26, 2015 [11]
U/D *3 Alarm* Manhattan: 125 2 Ave 3 Alarm transmitted for the collapsed. 10-60 Transmitted for a building explosion.
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) March 26, 2015 [12]
U/D Manhattan: 125 2 Ave Occupied building collapsed Multiple EMS buses rushing. K9 requested. #BREAKING [7] #NYC [13] pic.twitter.com/I1StQaPp0S [14]
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) March 26, 2015 [15]
Crazy explosion on 7 and 2nd east village #fire [16] #explosion [17] pic.twitter.com/U3Z4mx3Wut [18]
— J K (@Jamie_S_Kennedy) March 26, 2015 [19]
BREAKING NEWS: MAJOR BUILDING COLLAPSE WITH INJURIES IN MANHATTAN. (@jmeyers44 [20]) pic.twitter.com/zmbwaEgU0w [21]
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) March 26, 2015 [22]
BREAKING NEWS: Massive explosion at 2nd and 7th in Manhattan. Reports of people trapped. pic.twitter.com/aRct6d3TtF [23]
— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) March 26, 2015 [24]
Photo: current office view after explosion and possible building collapse on 2nd avenue (at IBM Studios) http://t.co/KohCV8E49d [25]
— joshua teixeira (@joshuahitsreset) March 26, 2015 [26]
Smoke following apparent building collapse on 2nd Avenue #NewYork [27]; firefighters are on the scene
cc."ScottWesterfeld pic.twitter.com/Bj9ExNNCzw [28]
— Raven*H?U*Wolf (@RavenHUWolf) March 26, 2015 [29]
More pix from Manhattan collapse pic.twitter.com/goxJDUrhu6 [30]
— theBravest (@theBravest) March 26, 2015 [31]
Smelling this 4 blocks away MT @PzFeed [32]: Building Collapse with explosion in Manhattan. (@Jamie_S_Kennedy [33] pic.twitter.com/LBuhtO199z [34]
— Paul B. Raushenbush (@raushenbush) March 26, 2015 [35]
UPDATE: Firefighters say an NYC building on fire has collapsed and at least one person has been critically injured: http://t.co/9qew1bGu4b [36]
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 26, 2015 [37]
This is the location before the explosion
Some more from CBS [38]:
Emergency responders are rushing to the scene of an explosion at a building in Manhattan’s East Village. The collapse was reported at around 3:20 p.m. at 7th Street and Second Avenue Thursday afternoon. Multiple injuries have been reported, the Fire Department said.
And from NY Post [39], which in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing reports, one should take with a salt mine of caution.
As many as 30 people were hurt in the partial collapse of an East Village building Thursday afternoon, law-enforcement sources told The Post.
The destruction near the corner of Second Avenue and East Seventh Street was reported shortly before 3:30 p.m.
The FDNY quickly declared a three-alarm emergency at the scene, which it said was a mixed-occupancy building at 125 Second Ave.
A photo posted on Twitter showed thick brown and gray smoke billowing out of the building and over the neighborhood
NBC notes [41]that the cause may indeed have been a gas leak, "The FDNY said there were reports of a gas leak and explosion before the collapse. "
CBS further reports that ConEd is shutting down the gas to the neighborhood, but the question is unclear if the gas started leaking before or after the explosion.
Live feed below after the jump:
[42]
