is it worthwhile to put such breaking news on the list, or am i wasting time/space since folks will see it anyway on their TV or on the web?
--ravi
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/04/25/ny.collapse/index.html
At least 50 injured in Manhattan blast
NEW YORK (CNN) --An explosion Thursday in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan damaged adjoining high-rise buildings housing a technical school, offices and residential units and injured at least 50 people, police and fire officials said.
Authorities said no foul play was suspected, and the explosion appeared to be an accident.
At least six people had life-threatening injuries, according to a spokesman with St. Vincent's Hospital.
The explosion happened in a building housing the offices of Kaltech Industries, a manufacturer of fabricated interior and exterior signs, authorities said. A police spokesman said plumbers were working on a boiler in the basement and that "may have had something to do with it."
"It was just a loud, thunderous noise," said Jeff Gross, who works in the building. "As soon as the explosion came, it seemed like a hurricane came through the building."
Students were evacuated from the eight-story Apex Technical School adjoining the building which houses Kaltech, located at 123 W 19th St. Streets in the area around 19th Street and Sixth Avenue were closed to traffic.
'If I didn't duck, I would have died'
"I just ducked because all the glass and flames and fire was coming toward me," said Steve Jaisingh, who works in the basement of the Kaltech building. "If I didn't duck, I would have died."
The explosion blew out windows and sent debris raining down on to the street. Several people, some bleeding from cuts and lacerations, were treated at the scene. Others were taken away on stretchers.
"I was on 20th Street in the rear of the building and I was literally directly across the street when the explosion happened," said witness John Heffernan. "Two huge windows blew out and glass shattered all around me. I ran underneath an awning and the glass just came down all around me."
While the incident initially raised fears of some kind of attack -- coming seven months after the September 11 terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan -- officials quickly ruled that out.
"We do have people from the Joint Terrorism Task Force on the scene. As of right now, there's nothing to indicate a terrorist connection to the explosion," said FBI spokesman Joseph Valliquette.
Police, fire and rescue units responded to the blast, and some rubble was visible on the street. But no fire or smoke was evident.
More than 100 firefighters were on the scene, fire officials said.