Collision between two buses in New York City injures 18

An open-top tour vehicle collided with a bus in downtown Manhattan on Thursday evening, injuring 18 people.

The accident occurred after 19:00 local time (00:00 BST), officials said, adding that both buses appear to have been fully occupied at the time.

In a news conference, fire department officials said it was too early to determine what caused the collision.

Ropes and ladders were used to rescue people. Officials are "evaluating" 63 more people for possible injuries.

None of the injuries sustained appear to be life-threatening, fire department officials said, adding that most injuries can be described as cuts, bruises, scrapes, fractures, and head and neck injuries.

It involved a city MTA bus and a tourist bus on a night-time tour operated by TopView Sightseeing.

The tour departs from near Times Square and takes in sights such as the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge in a 90-minute journey, TopView's website said.

The TopView bus had two decks, which complicated rescue efforts, said FDNY Deputy Chief Paul Hopper.

Passenger Ishrak Jahan described the crash to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

"I heard the lady next to me scream, so I looked up and I saw this bus barrelling towards us," he said.

"I just saw glass everywhere for a second. I, you know, it was honestly like I was in a movie ... I saw blood. I immediately called 911."

The buses remained at the crash site near the intersection of 21st and 1st Avenue on Thursday night.

FDNY Deputy Chief Kevin Murphy praised the response, saying: "Anytime you have two buses involved, you. have a significant number of patients that likely need to be treated."

"Seeing that quantity of people right away, I think units did a very good job getting them off the bus quickly and taking them to the appropriate resources."