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Steam Explosion Leaves 1 Dead

New Yorkers fear terror attack; Bloomberg assures them otherwise

By Max Brallier,  Newser User

Posted Jul 19, 2007 5:33 AM CDT
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(Newser) – One person is dead and 30 are injured after a steam pipe ruptured in midtown Manhattan yesterday, shooting a volcano-like eruption of steam, mud and debris 30 stories high and prompting fears of a terrorist attack. The casualty was a middle-aged woman who had a heart attack when the steam shot from the ground next to her, the New York Daily News reports.

The driver of a tow truck swallowed by a crater was one of two people critically burned by  the scalding steam. Mayor Bloomberg was quick to the rule out terror, describing the cause as "a failure of our infrastructure." There are fears that the explosion, outside Grand Central Station, may have filled the air with asbestos, as happened in a similar 1989 Gramercy Park incident.

Debris filled steam gushes from what is to believed to be a steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18 , 2007, in New York. An underground steam explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday, sending edgy residents running for cover amid a plume of steam and flying...
Debris filled steam gushes from what is to believed to be a steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18 , 2007, in New York. An underground steam explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central...   (Associated Press)
A tow truck sits in a hole in the asphalt on 41st St. and Lexingon Avenue Wednesday evening, July 18, 2007 after a steam pipe exploded under the street in New York. An underground steam explosion tore through the street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday, sending edgy residents running...
A tow truck sits in a hole in the asphalt on 41st St. and Lexingon Avenue Wednesday evening, July 18, 2007 after a steam pipe exploded under the street in New York. An underground steam explosion tore...   (Associated Press)
Emergency personnel surround the scene after a steam explosion in midtown Manhattan, New York, Wednesday, July 18, 2007. An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday during the evening rush hour, sending residents running for cover amid a towering geyser of steam....
Emergency personnel surround the scene after a steam explosion in midtown Manhattan, New York, Wednesday, July 18, 2007. An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand...   (Associated Press)
Steve Pekar takes pictures of a steam explosion as Pedestrians cross Lexington Avenue, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. A steam explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday during the evening rush hour, sending residents running for cover amid a plume of steam. (AP...
Steve Pekar takes pictures of a steam explosion as Pedestrians cross Lexington Avenue, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. A steam explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal...   (Associated Press)
Emergency service vehicles are seen on 42nd St. near the site of an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said it was not terrorism-related. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Emergency service vehicles are seen on 42nd St. near the site of an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said it was...   (Associated Press)
Police officers use wet cloths to protect from any potential contaminants as debris and steam rise from what is to believed to be a steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007, in New York. An underground steam pipe explosion tore through a Manhattan street near Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday...
Police officers use wet cloths to protect from any potential contaminants as debris and steam rise from what is to believed to be a steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007, in New York. An underground...   (Associated Press)
Police, firefighters and ConEdison workers respond to the scene of an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Police, firefighters and ConEdison workers respond to the scene of an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)   (Associated Press)
An abandoned school bus and a city bus rest at the scene as debris filled steam billow following an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007, in Midtown New York. New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said it was not terrorism related. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)
An abandoned school bus and a city bus rest at the scene as debris filled steam billow following an underground steam pipe explosion, Wednesday, July 18, 2007, in Midtown New York. New York Police Department...   (Associated Press)
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One dead from blast
New York Times

Explosion scares city
New York Post

 
Manhattan • Grand Central Station • New York Steam Explosion • ConEd

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