The collision of two buses, one of which was carrying tourists, Thursday, in the Manhattan borough of New York, injured more than 80 people, of whom 18 were taken to hospital, but their injuries were not serious, according to the fire department.
New York City Fire Department deputy chief Kevin Murphy said the accident occurred at around 19:00 (2300 GMT) on First Avenue near Gramercy Park.
Footage posted by the department on Twitter shows a double-decker, open-top tour bus colliding with the back of another bus operated by the city.
FDNY units are currently operating at a bus collision on East 23rd Street and 1st Avenue in Manhattan. Currently there are approximately 40 injuries to civilians. pic.twitter.com/oFDKqwzk6w
— FDNY (@FDNY) July 7, 2023
Paul Hooper, deputy chief of the fire department’s emergency medical service, said the buses “appeared to be overcrowded.””We transferred 18 patients” to the hospital, he added, noting that none of them are in a life-threatening situation.
He added that the field medical staff treated 63 other passengers of the two buses.
FDNY officials provide an update on a bus collision in Manhattan https://t.co/9jNo32icWl
— FDNY (@FDNY) July 7, 2023
He noted that “many injuries are limited to cuts, bruises, scratches, as well as suspected fractures and wounds to the head and neck.”
And the firefighters had to use ropes and ladders to get the passengers out of the bus carrying tourists because one of its doors was damaged, according to Murphy, who did not reveal the cause of the accident.
The nationalities of the injured were not immediately known.