Times Square in New York has been evacuated as police launch a probe into reports of a "suspicious package".
The affected area is between West 43rd Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, according to authorities.
New York City police said to avoid Times Square due to the investigation and to expect delays.
The NYPD said: "Due to an active police investigation, avoid the area of West 43rd Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan within the confines of @NYPDMTS. Expect emergency vehicles and delays in the surrounding area."
New York City police said to avoid Times Square due to the investigation and to expect delays
|REUTERS
The statement was released around 11.30am local time.
A bomb squad unit was rushed to the scene.
A yellow tape perimeter was set up to keep pedestrians away from the crossroad.
An overhead image posted online shows a two-block section of Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 44th Street closed to traffic.
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A bomb squad unit has rushed to the scene, where they remain
|REUTERS
The area is normally one of the busiest in midtown Manhattan and is often gridlocked by vehicles and pedestrian traffic on a weekday morning.
Office workers in a building at the centre of a closed section of the avenue were told to move away from the windows.
GB News understands the cordon has now been lifted.
Many were gathered in the lobby of three Times Square, at the corner of 43rd Street.
The area is normally one of the busiest in midtown Manhattan and is often gridlocked by vehicles and pedestrian traffic on a weekday morning
|REUTERS
The affected area is between West 43rd Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan, according to authorities
|REUTERS
Times Square regularly sees between 200,000 and 250,000 pedestrians a day, according to their official website.
The data shows that in 2024, roughly 220,000 pedestrians entered Times Square each day.
On the busiest days, Times Square has pedestrian counts as high as 330,000, according to the site.