NEW YORK (CNN) -- One person died and at least 16 were injured when a steam pipe burst in midtown Manhattan Wednesday, causing a transformer to explode and sending thick plumes of steam and ash into the air near Grand Central Terminal, New York officials said.
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A transformer exploded in Manhattan during rush hour Wednesday.
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Bellevue hospital received 14 people from the explosion site, but one died from sustained injuries, according to hospital administrator Larry Dugan.

New York Presbyterian hospital said it had received three people with injuries related to the explosion. Two of those patients were critically injured.

The New York Fire Department said it received a call reporting an explosion at 5:56 p.m. More than 170 firefighters were dispatched to the site at Lexington Avenue near 41st Street. Map »

Hundreds of people fled as dozens of police, fire and utility workers arrived. Officials said the explosion was not related to terrorism.

Former CNN reporter Adaora Udoji, now with CourtTV, said the scene at the time of the blast was "pandemonium."

"It felt like an earthquake. We saw hundreds and hundreds of people running down Third Avenue," she said. "They were screaming, they were crying."

Udoji said the blast left a crater "many dozens of feet wide," comparing it to the craters she saw after bombings during a stint in Iraq. She also said a "hissing noise" can be heard for blocks.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/18/new.york.explosion/index.html