New York residents were fearful of a new terrorist attack yesterday, as a steam pipe explosion caused panic in midtown Manhattan.
A massive steam cloud, adjudged to be at least 120 feet high burst out of the tarmac at Lexington Avenue and 41st Street, one of the busiest areas of the metropolis.
One person was killed by the blast and 20 injured, with local residents panic-stricken by the cloud's similarity to those that engulfed the city on September 11th.
Megan Fletcher, an Australian who was working in the nearby Chrysler Building said: "We ran down 43 floors thinking we were going to die. It looked like when the buildings collapsed on 9/11."
According to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, the pipe was 83 years old and may have burst due to an influx of cold water.
He told reporters: "The big fear that we have is there may or may not have been asbestos released."
Consolidated Edison, the power company responsible for maintenance of the pipeline, was recently embarrassed by blackouts in the city.
