A 56-year-old woman fell into an open maintenance hole on a busy New York street and died, police and utility officials said as they investigated how it could have happened.

The woman parked her Mercedes-Benz SUV right next to the maintenance hole on Monday night near the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan and fell in after exiting the vehicle shortly before 11.30pm, police said.

She was pronounced dead at a local hospital after firefighters pulled her out.

The utility company Con Edison said surveillance camera footage appeared to show that the hole cover was dislodged by a multi-axle truck that drove over it about 12 minutes before the woman fell in.

“We are reviewing the details, and while this is a rare occurrence, manhole covers can get displaced by heavy vehicles. Our thoughts remain with her family, and safety remains our top priority,” a company spokesman said in a statement.

The accident happened in an upscale shopping area that includes a Cartier store and is about four blocks from Trump Tower.