A steam pipe exploded in central Manhattan in New York
Wednesday, sending vast billows of steam sky-high, scattering
debris and killing at least 1 while injuring 20 more. According to
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the blast was down to a "failure of
infrastructure."
One woman succumbed to a heart attack shortly after the
explosion with two dozen more injured, some seriously, Bloomberg
revealed at a news conference amid wailing sirens.
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Blocks near the site were immediately evacuated and subway lines
were diverted, after the explosion took place at 6 PM.
The public is being told to stay away from the area while tests
are conducted to determine the presence of asbestos.
Bloomberg said a steam pipe dating back to 1924, measuring 24
inches in diameter, had ruptured, possibly due to cold
rainwater.
The underground steam pipes, which heat and cool buildings in
New York, have all been turned off, and a yawning crater took over
the middle of the street.
Eye-witnesses described the spewing steam and debris as being
like a "tornado rising from the ground."
As fire trucks and emergency crews worked around the site
searching for "collateral damage", near 41st Street between 3rd and
Lexington Avenue, adjacent windows could be seen to have been blown
up by the force of the blast.
The last major steam explosion in the city happened in 1989,
killing three people and sending mud and debris shooting several
stories into the air.
(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2007)
