Dock explosion leaves one dead and 36 injured in New York

An explosion at a dry dock in Staten Island, New York, killed one person and injured 36 others this Friday (22). The explosion occurred while firefighters were on the scene battling a fire and trying to rescue two people trapped in the rubble, authorities said.

Two firefighters were hospitalized, including a fire chief who suffered a fractured temple and a brain hemorrhage requiring intubation, authorities said. The other firefighter was in serious condition but improved, authorities said.

"This was a complex and rapidly evolving emergency situation," New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani told reporters.

"Rescuers did what they always do: they ran toward danger so others could escape to safety," he said.

Authorities did not provide details about the person who died, other than to say that it was a civilian.

A full investigation will be launched once the fire is fully extinguished, Mamdani said.

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

The accident occurred in the Richmond Terrace region, in the borough of Staten Island, an area of New York City located across the harbor from Manhattan.

Source: CNN