Sat, May 23, 2026 at 1:54 AM UTC
Staten Island, a New York City borough reachable by ferry, is southwest of Manhattan
One person has died and more than 30 people have been injured after an explosion on a barge at a Staten Island shipyard in New York City.
At least 34 people were hurt in the incident on Friday including firefighters and first responders, officials said. The person who died was a civilian, the New York City Fire Department said.
The incident began with a report of workers trapped and a fire at around 15:30 local time (20:30 BST). An explosion erupted roughly 50 minutes later, prompting additional emergency responders to deploy to the scene.
“This was a complex, fast-developing emergency situation,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference on Friday evening.
Two workers were reportedly trapped in a confined space as the fire was spreading, Joanne Mariano with the fire department’s press office said, according to the Associated Press.
When firefighters arrived, they located a fire in the basement of a metal structure at the dock.
It is not clear yet what caused the fire and explosion.
One fire marshal is in a critical condition and one firefighter is in a serious condition as of Friday evening, the mayor said during the news conference.
Officials told US media that people in the area should expect traffic delays and road closures.