New York Central Park 'Explosion' 'Blows Off Man's Leg'

He has been taken to hospital with a “possible amputation”.

WARNING: Contains graphic image.

A young man is reported to have had his leg blown off in an explosion in New York's Central Park.

Witnesses described hearing a loud bang and then finding the injured individual at the scene.

Medics stand over a man who was injured after an explosion in Central Park, in Manhattan, New York.
Medics stand over a man who was injured after an explosion in Central Park, in Manhattan, New York.
Andrew Kelly / Reuters

Other witnesses claim the man stepped on something after climbing off a rock.

Officials later said it was "was likely an experiment with fireworks or explosives" that wasn't linked to terrorism.

Sara Gordon, 27, told the New York Daily News: "His left foot looked severed. It was very graphic.

"I was running back and forth to direct the police here. It sounded like a cannon. I thought it was a 4th of July thing."

The man - reported to be a tourist from northern Virginia - has been taken to hospital with a "possible amputation".

The cause of the explosion is not yet known but there has been some speculation it was a firework.

A bomb squad was on the scene and a section of the park has been cordoned off.

The funeral for Holocaust survivor and Nobel winner Eli Wiesel was being held nearby but there is no indication the two events are related.

More to follow...

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