India, Oct. 1 -- A part of a high-rise apartment building collapsed on Wednesday morning in New York City, United States, with the fire department pointing to a gas explosion as the cause.

According to the Associated Press report citing the city's fire department, there were no immediate reports of injuries. The department said that it was responding to a report of a gas explosion that collapsed an incinerator shaft in the 20-story building in the Bronx around 8:10 AM on Wednesday.

Incinerator shafts in New York City buildings were once used to dispose of trash, which was then burned on site. But they have largely been replaced with trash compactors, which can use the same chutes.

The collapse did not affect any residential units. The ...