Three dead after New York blast

At least three people have been confirmed dead after a gas leak triggered an earth-shaking explosion that flattened two apartment buildings in New York City.

More than 60 people were injured and nine were missing after the blast in East Harlem, Manhattan.

A tenant said residents had complained repeatedly in recent weeks about “unbearable” gas smells.

Rescue workers finally began the search for victims amid broken bricks, splintered wood and mangled metal after firefighters spent most of the day dousing the flames.

Heavy equipment including a bulldozer arrived to clear the mountain of debris where the two five-storey buildings stood.

The effort was set to be hampered by the weather, which was expected to drop below freezing with rain. Some parts of the debris pile were inaccessible because of a sinkhole caused by a subsurface water main break, officials said.

The blast, on Park Avenue at 116th Street, not far from the edge of Central Park, erupted about 15 minutes after a neighbouring resident reported smelling gas, authorities said. The Con Edison utility said it immediately sent workers to check out the report, but they did not arrive until it was too late.

The explosion shattered windows a block away, rained debris on to elevated commuter railway lines close by, cast a plume of smoke over the skyline and sent people running into the streets.

Police said two women believed to be in their 40s were among the three killed.

At least three of the injured were children. One, a 15-year-old boy, was reported in critical condition with burns, broken bones and internal injuries. Most of the other victims’ injuries were minor and included cuts and scrapes.

Fire officials said some people were unaccounted for but cautioned they might not have been in the buildings.

Edward Foppiano, a Con Edison senior vice president, said there was only one gas odour complaint on record with the utility from either address, and it was last May. It was a small leak in customer piping and was fixed, he said.

The block was last checked on February 28 as part of a regular leak survey, and no problems were detected, Mr Foppiano said.