Man's foot 'severed' in Central Park explosion

Police said the blast was probably caused by fireworks, given that it took place during the Fourth of July weekend.

The man is transported from the Central Park scene to a nearby hospital with injuries that authorities described as a "possible amputation" ((Reuters))

A young man has suffered severe injuries after an object exploded underfoot as he was scrambling on rocks in New York’s Central Park, police have said. Conner Golden, 19, who was visiting the city from Washington DC, was climbing on the rocks with two friends when the explosion occurred at around 11am on Sunday.

Emergency medical personnel were seen bandaging his lower leg at the scene before he was transported to nearby Bellevue Hospital with what authorities reportedly described as a “possible amputation”. It remained unclear what had caused the blast, but police said they thought it likely to be fireworks, given that tomorrow is the country’s Independence Day.

A bomb-sniffing dog was sent in to investigate the rocks near Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and the Central Park Zoo, an area that would be bustling with tourists even on a regular weekend. Some witnesses heard the explosion as they left the funeral of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, but the blast was not thought to be connected to the service.

One witness, John Murphy, told the New York Post that Mr Golden’s foot appeared to have been severed at the ankle. “He was severely injured. His left leg was severely damaged, all bone and muscle,” he said, adding that Mr Golden nonetheless remained conscious until the emergency personnel arrived. “He was an absolute trouper,” Mr Murphy said.