Blast in New York Reminiscent of Another Disaster

The blast near Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal sent plumes of smoke into the air, at least one person was hurt.

Courtesy: The Age Australia

(NEW YORK) - It is an eerie feeling for New Yorkers; an underground explosion ripped a sidewalk apart near the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 41st Street early this evening.

Smoke rose into the air and the haunting scene looked to some, like a rehash of the city's darkest day, September 11th, 2001.

Today's scene was played and replayed on TV, and more Americans have been reminded of a day when New York was the center focus of the worst attack on domestic soil since Pearl Harbor.

News sources report that nearly 200 New York City firefighters are on the scene at the time of this report, banded together in large numbers once again to protect the citizens of America's best known city.

Investigators on the scene say that at this point, they do not know the origin of the blast, and that it possibly came from a manhole or transformer.

New York Police Sergeant Reginald Watkins told Bloomberg that they did not have any immediate information about deaths or injuries. NYFD Spokesman Tony Sclafani says that the firefighters gathered there represent 40 of the city's fire units.

One woman was reportedly injured in the blast and was described as being covered in blood. Witnesses said bricks and debris were flying all over the place and a lot of dark smoke followed.

To make things worse; it happened during the New York City rush hour, which sees almost 3/4 of a million people commuting simultaneously.

New York subway lines are bypassing Grand Central Station. A shuttle to Times Square has also been shut down.

There are thousands of reported evacuations, but no confirmation of any deaths at this point.