Chunk of New York apartment building collapses in possible explosion

A section of a 20 -storey residential building collapsed in New York City on Wednesday morning, and the authorities say there are no injuries.

Firefighters and emergency respondents searched in the afternoon for anyone who may be trapped under the narratives of the rubble outside the building, which is part of the development of public housing in Bronx.

“Only the entire building – I heard a loud boom, just exploded, and fell like this,” said one of the witnesses who spoke with CBS News, the BBC.

Another witness told CBS: “Someone in the building next to me, they said that their window fell, and it is on the sixteenth floor.”

City fire commissioner Robert Taker said at a press conference that the collapse had arisen from an explosion in the ventilation column in the boiler room.

No apartments were damaged, but as a precautionary measure, some residents were evacuated. Others were allowed to return, but the gas was stopped to the building with the investigation of the authorities.

Mayor Eric Adams said this investigation would determine whether the gas leakage caused an explosion. The CONED power supplier has not returned a request to comment from the BBC.

The Housing Authority in New York City, which runs the complex, said in a statement that it is investigating the accident and still determines the extent of damage. The building has some open violations against it.

The New York City Building Administration has issued a partial order to stop, which is still active, in the building in June, according to public records. It was linked to a violation of plumbing, which may have been defective, or not, or bad maintenance.

There are still two others’ violations of active property, as general records appear. One of February 2024 relates to the building’s failure to submit a report on the safety of the interface and inspection.

Another active violation deals with the NYCHETIA inspection report, which found that the building’s interface is unsafe.

DOB Commissioner, James Udo, said that there are three open violations against property dealing with non -safety issues. It is not clear how the violations that refer to, if any, are related to the active violations described in public records.

Partial collapse comes just one week after a fire in the same building, a teenage girl left a coma and in critical condition, although her father told Outlet News 12 Long Island that she is now recovering.

“We were lucky because this emergency did not lead to a loss of lives, and that it did not turn into a tragedy,” said Amanda Citymeo, a member of the association that represents the building area, at the press conference.

“But we cannot rely on luck to preserve our society safe.”