A New York City transit bus and a Dahlia tour bus collided, spinning around before slamming into a building in the city's borough of Queens, New York, US, September 18, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - Three people were confirmed killed and 16 others injured after two buses collided in New York on Monday.

A private tour bus and a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus collided at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Main Street in the New York City borough of Queens at around 6:15 a.m. local time.

A pedestrian, a passenger on the MTA bus and the driver of the tour bus were confirmed dead, local authorities said at a press conference.

The injured have been sent to three nearby hospitals, Officer James Byrne with the New York Police Department (NYPD) told Xinhua. He refused to disclose the victims' identities.

Several of the injured were in critical condition and fighting for their life right now, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said at the press conference, adding this was "a very painful moment."

"We don't know enough yet about the specific details. We do not yet have a reliable video tape to work from ... We have only limited information at this point, very preliminary stage of the investigation," the mayor said.

The collision has also caused substantial damage to a building nearby. Work is being done right now to make sure it is secure, and it is not posing a danger itself, according to the mayor.

The NYPD Collision Investigation Squad was handling the investigation, Officer Byrne said.

The authorities have cordoned off the area to clean it up. The collision has caused heavy traffic delays.