About 30 other workers at the site of the blast were unhurt.

Fire engulfed a barge in the waterway known as Arthur Kill at about 1010 local time (1510 GMT), according to reports.

The cause of the blast is unclear, but officials have stressed that there is no indication of terrorism.

Were you an eyewitness to the explosion? Send us your accounts.

They should never have built huge oil tanks this close to NYC and Newark! Joseph Arturi, Bayonne, NJ ,USA

I live in a town about 30 miles north of the blast. I was sleeping at the time of the explosion but the sound was loud enough to wake me. I quickly looked out the window and could see the sky turning grey. At the time radio reports stated only two people who worked on the barge were feared to be dead. I am very surprised the number is not higher. They should never have built huge oil tanks this close to NYC and Newark!
Joseph Arturi, Bayonne, NJ,USA

I did not witness the blast but have seen the effects of such things as I am a Plant Integrity Engineer. I have always thought that the risk of industrial accidents is a far greater threat to our cities than terrorism. Many of these complexes are close to urban areas; a major blast in a refinery could be of the magnitude of a small atomic weapon. Unfortunately the business is budgets not integrity of plant. Surely it's time for the Government to act and force this industry to live up to its legal obligations
Anon, US

Plumes of smoke and flames Joanne Campbell, USA

I heard the blast from my office in Woodbridge New Jersey (about 5 miles from the site), and looked out to see huge plumes of smoke and flames above the treeline across Route 1. I tried all the local radio and TV stations, plus CNN; I got the news of where it was and the first photos from the BBC!
Joanne Campbell, USA

I live in Staten Island, but work in Manhattan. I was worried about my family so I looked out the window of my office building (48th floor) about 15 miles away. The funnel of black smoke reminded me of a tornado. The trail quickly stretched across the sky towards Brooklyn and Queens.
Sean, USA

I'm in Freehold, NJ which is about 20 miles south of Staten Island. We were able to hear the explosion and see the plume of smoke from here.
Kristine, New Jersey, USA

I didn't witness the explosion but I felt it in my house Michelle Volpe, Staten Island, NY

I live on Staten Island. I didn't witness the explosion but I felt it in my house. I live on the other side on Staten Island, close to Brooklyn and the explosion was still felt and shook my house. My boyfriend lives closer to the explosion and they also felt it in his house, but stronger as if a car had crashed into the house. Word spread that it was the Staten Island mall that exploded, but it wasn't. I'm just shook up because there might be another explosion.
Michelle Volpe, Staten Island, NY

I was on the Staten Island ferry when the explosion occurred and could not help but witness the terrible scenes. There was pandemonium on the ferry, as everyone thought the city had been hit by another terrorist attack.
Matt Daniels, UK/USA

I live about six miles from where the explosion took place. I was sitting doing some work when about 1010 (1510GMT) my house shook. A minute or two later I saw a huge plume of black smoke rising in the southwest. I knew immediately that something happened at one of the petroleum facilities either here on Staten Island, or across the Arthur Kill in New Jersey. Judging from an aerial photo of the area and local television, almost all of the fire was on the water. At this time, 1130am (1630GMT) there is no longer a plume of smoke visible and while the fire is still burning, it is limited to a specific spot on the barge that exploded. This is not the first time we have experienced such an event. In the early 1970s the Bayway refinery in Elizabeth, New Jersey (right across the water from Staten Island) essentially blew up. That was a much greater explosion which caused quite a bit of damage.
Chet Cutick, Staten Island, NY, USA