Twenty people were in a house in Syracuse, New York, that collapsed on Tuesday after reports of an explosion.
Ten people were taken to hospital, eight of whom are on life support, a fire official said. Of those, eight are considered seriously injured. More people may be in custody, the official said.
According to the fire brigade, several children were among the victims.
Search and rescue operations are underway.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday after multiple 911 calls described an explosion that caused a building to collapse.
Several victims were outside the home, including one person trapped in a car involved in the collapse. Officials say it’s not clear how the car got there.
Officials have not provided an update on the condition of the victims.
New York Governor Katy Hochul said Tuesday afternoon X that she had spoken to the mayor of Syracuse after the explosion.
According to a Syracuse fire official, there was a “strong smell of gas” coming from the building.
The explosion occurred as a heat wave blanketed the east coast. Due to the high temperatures, fire officials said the department is being vigilant about possible heat exhaustion and rotating firefighters.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
