New York

Multiple people were shot at a subway station in New York's Brooklyn on Tuesday morning (local time), the city fire department said.

Preliminary reports indicated that five people were shot, a law enforcement official said. The police were seeking a man with a gas mask and an orange construction vest, the official said, according to The New York Times.

Thirteen people were transported to area hospitals, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) said.

The violent episode heightened simmering fears about public safety that have hindered New York City's push to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The attack took place during the morning rush hour at the 36th Street stop in Sunset Park.

Police officers were called to the 36th Street subway station, where the D, N and R lines pass through the Sunset Park neighbourhood, at around 8:30 a.m., a Police Department spokeswoman said. They had also received reports of smoke inside the station, reported The New York Times.

Transit officials said that trains on the D, N and R lines would be delayed because of an unspecified investigation.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city's subway, said no additional details were immediately available.

A spokesman for Mayor Eric Adams declined to comment as reports were still preliminary.