Dramatic surveillance footage obtained by local CBS news shows the destruction that surrounded the deadly East Harlem building collapse – including debris raining down on the street as a man cowers in fear.
The video was shot by security cameras mounted on a building across the street from the scene on Park Avenue near 116th Street, CBS said.
One camera captured footage of shows a moment of calm before the explosion shatters windows up and down the street and sends glass showering down on the cars below.
In another video a disoriented man can be seen trying to cover his head as he is almost blown off his feet as debris crashes down around him and dark clouds of dust roll across Park Avenue.
In that video a heavy piece of falling debris that lands near the man slams into a “No Parking” sign.
Eight people were killed in the collapse, which was so bad some rescue workers likened it to the World Trade Center.
The cause of the explosion hasn’t yet been determined but soil from the area was soaked with high concentrations of natural gas – bolstering the idea that the gas had been leaking from an underground pipe for some time before the blast.