Huge explosion shook New York during rush hour

A massive explosion has just occurred in lower Manhattan, New York (USA), near the Union Square area. The explosion originated from a manhole and caused three fires.

DailyMail reported that the explosion occurred before 8am (March 31 local time) at the intersection of Broadway and East 12th Street, near the famous bookstore The Strand.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries. City officials have not yet announced the cause of the fire, but trucks from the city's gas supplier, ConEdison, were at the scene.

It was reported to be a gas explosion.

Firefighters blocked several streets to investigate the cause of the explosion and stopped people from getting close for fear of further explosions. The blast blew out windows at The Strand bookstore and apartments above.

As of 8:30 a.m., there was still a lot of smoke rising from the scene, but it appeared that no new fires had broken out.

According to Vietnamnet