Building collapses in NYC

(Updated) One person is dead and 17 injured after the collapse and explosion of a building in New York City.

Firefighters responded to reports of an explosion and building collapse in Manhattan at around 9:30 this morning.

Authorities were called to a building on 116th Street and Park Avenue. Reports say smoke could be seen from a few miles away.

Nearby buildings have been evacuated, and trains in the area were halted because of the debris on tracks.

Television news footage shows firefighters dousing the site from ladder trucks and rubble partially covering a parked vehicle.