2 Buildings Collapse in Manhattan, People Missing, Officials Say

Two buildings have collapsed in Manhattan and people are missing after an apparent explosion that rattled surrounding buildings and shattered windows with a blast that could be felt blocks away, sources say.

The two five-story buildings at the northwest corner of 116th Street and Park Avenue in Harlem collapsed around 9:30 a.m., sources tell NBC 4 New York. FDNY says 16 to 20 people are injured. Others are not accounted for.

Smoke billowed into Central Park and could be seen from miles away in midtown, and New Yorkers said they felt rumbles as far away as 150th Street. Closer to the collapse, groceries were knocked from store shelves and debris floated through the air.

amotherlife.com

City officials said the buildings are destroyed. The cause of the apparent explosion is not known; members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force have responded to the scene out of an abundance of caution, authorities said.

"I thought a train had exploded," said Marisa Aquino, who was at her apartment on 115th Street between Park and Lexington. "There are a ton of firefighters and a lot of smoke. Cops and first responders are everywhere."

One real estate website lists one of the buildings as having six residential units and one commercial space.

Metro-North service has been suspended out of Grand Central because of debris on tracks.