An explosion in Manhattan has injured at least 29 people, according to officials in New York City. The police and fire departments both report that none of the injuries appear life-threatening.
Mayor Bill de Blasio says initial investigations suggest the explosion, on West 23rd Street in Chelsea, was an "intentional act," but that there is "no evidence at this point" of a connection to terrorism.
Police are also investigating "a second potential device" several blocks away, on West 27th Street, de Blasio says.
At a press conference Saturday night, the mayor cautioned that the investigation was still in the early stages and there was little that authorities could definitively say about the explosion. But he said there was no specific and credible threat against New York City.
#Update re: Explosion (photo) pic.twitter.com/AtqllF3JEZ
— NYPDCounterterrorism (@NYPDCT) September 18, 2016
The explosion occurred around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. The New York Police Department bomb squad and counterterrorism units responded to the scene.
The NYPD's counterterrorism department tweeted a photo that appears to show a mangled dumpster, calling it an "update" on the 23rd Street explosion.
President Obama has been briefed on the situation, according to a White House official.
NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill said at the press conference on Saturday night that evidence did not suggest the explosion was caused by "any natural gas cause," and he said the location is being treated as a crime scene.
Journalist Josh Marshall lives across the street from the site of the explosion but wasn't there when it happened. He wrote in a post on his site, Talking Points Memo, that a large building at the location described by authorities has been the site of "low-intensity construction" for months.
The street is not normally the site of heavy foot traffic, he says.
This is a breaking news story. As often happens in situations like these, some information reported early may turn out to be inaccurate. We'll move quickly to correct the record and we'll only point to the best information we have at the time.
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