Buildings in East Harlem, at 116th and Park Avenue, collapsed after an explosion this morning around 9 a.m. Bwog first learned of it from a tipster who reported hearing a large boom during an art hum midterm. From CBSLocal:

One of the buildings that collapsed had a piano repair shop with apartments above. The second building housed a church. It’s unclear if anyone was inside the buildings at the time of the explosion. Officials believe the buildings were both 5 stories tall.

According to CNN Breaking News alerts, firefighters and police are on the scene and report at least 11 minor injuries.

Update (1:10 pm): The New York Times reports at least two have been killed and 18 injured. Many people are still missing.

harlem

 The surrounding area is closed off, and the MTA’s website states that Metro North Harlem Line Service, New Haven Line Service and Hudson Line Service into and out of Grand Central Terminal are temporarily suspended until further notice.

Images courtesy of twitter user @brando93