Explosion in Manhattan

An explosion shook a technical school in Manhattan today, injuring several people, the New York City fire department said.

The New York Fire department said that the explosion, which was first reported at 11:29 a.m. (16:29 GMT), took place at the second floor of the Apex Technical School on 121 West 19th Street in Manhattan.

There was no official number of injuries, but the fire department unofficially counted six people going to hospitals.

Unofficially fire department people on the scene said the explosion may have been caused by a gas leak.

New York has been on edge since the Sept. 11 attacks, in which a pair of hijacked jetliners were smashed into the World Trade Center, reducing the twin towers to rubble. Around 3,000 people were killed in coordinated attacks on New York and Washington.

The United States launched a war on terrorism in response to the attacks.

Federal officials have issued a series of warnings of possible attacks against a wide range of targets. According to a police spokesman there was, however, no indication, that the explosion was linked in any way to political violence.

Apex Technical School teaches auto repair, refrigeration and welding.

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