New York explosion: 29 injured in 'intentional bomb blast', with second device found in Manhattan

New York is on high alert after an explosion rocked the Chelsea district of Manhattan injuring 29 people, one seriously.

Thousands of people were milling around one of Manhattan’s most fashionable areas when the blast ripped through the area shortly after 8.30pm local time.

It is understood to have originated from a device placed in a metal container - a skip or a large builder's toolbox - outside the Associated Blind Housing facility at 135 West 23rd Street.

A second device was found four blocks away on West 27th Street. According to several local news sources it was a pressure cooker attached to a mobile phone by tape with protruding wires.