One dead, 36 injured in explosion at New York dry dock

One dead, 36 injured in explosion at New York dry dock
Updated on

Summary The incident took place in the Richmond Terrace section of the borough of ⁠Staten Island

(Reuters) - An explosion at a dry dock in New York City's Staten Island killed one person and injured 36 others on Friday, as the blast occurred while firefighters were on the scene responding to a fire and attempting to rescue two people who were trapped, officials said.

Two firefighters were hospitalized, including a fire marshal who ⁠suffered a fractured temple and a brain bleed and was intubated, officials said. The other firefighter was in serious condition but had shown improvement, officials said.

"This was a complex, fast-developing emergency situation," New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters.

"First responders did what they always do: they ran towards danger so others could escape to ⁠safety."

Officials did not provide details about the person who died except to say it was a civilian.

A comprehensive investigation would begin once the fire was completely extinguished, Mamdani ⁠said.

Firefighters had responded to reports of a fire in a basement and two workers trapped and were on scene when ⁠the explosion occurred, officials said.

The incident took place in the Richmond Terrace section of the borough of ⁠Staten Island, a part of New York City that is across the harbor from Manhattan.