DHAKA: At least 29 people have been injured in an explosion in the Chelsea district of Manhattan in New York on Sunday (September 18, GMT time).

The injuries are not life-threatening but one is serious. The cause of the blast is unclear but Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was ‘intentional’, reports the BBC.

Witnesses described a ‘deafening’ blast in the Chelsea district around 21:00 (01:00 GMT on Sunday).

It came just hours after a pipe bomb exploded in a bin in a New Jersey town, shortly before a charity race there.

Witnesses said people ran in all directions following the “incredibly loud” blast on Saturday night in New York.

Chelsea, one of the most fashionable districts of Manhattan, has bars and restaurants that are crowded in the weekend.

Unconfirmed reports said the blast went off in a dustbin, shattering windows in a nearby building.

Several blocks have been closed down by police.

The New York Police Counterterrorism Bureau confirmed that it was investigating and shared an image on Twitter that appeared to show a damaged dustbin.

The earlier bomb explosion in Seaside Park, New Jersey, on Saturday came shortly before thousands of runners were to participate in a charity race. No injuries were reported there.

Speaking at a rally in Colorado as news of the explosion was coming in, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told supporters that a ‘bomb’ had gone off.

He said “Nobody knows exactly what’s going on, but boy, we are living in a time - we better get very tough, folks.”

BDST: 0806/0946 HRS, SEP 18, 2016
BD