At least two people died and 23 others were injured Monday after two bomb blasts ripped through the crowd near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Police found two more bombs and disarmed them, officials said. A third blast from a controlled detonation was heard downtown, according to reports.
The marathon organizers announced the source of the explosions, which occurred in quick succession about 2:50 p.m. on Boylston Street near the intersection of Exeter Street, three hours after the winner had crossed the finish line. Some store fronts were blown out.
Bloodied spectators were carried to medical tent intended for runners. Several of the injured had lost limbs, and at least one police officer was hurt.
"Somebody's leg flew by my head. I gave my belt to stop the blood," spectator John Ross told The Boston Herald.
Police reported at least 23 were injured, but hospitals reported receiving more patients.
Massachusetts General Hospital was treating 19 victims, spokeswoman Susan McGreevey said. Tufts New England Medical Center had nine patients "and we're expecting more," said spokeswoman Julie Jette.
Organizers immediately stopped the race and locked down the marathon headquarters.
The elite women runners started the race at 9:30 a.m. and the elite men followed about 30 minutes later. About 27,000 runners were in the field for the Patriots Day race.
Smoke hung over the neighborhood as police cleared the thousands of spectators who had jammed the route.
Kimberly DelGuzzi of Pittsburgh was waiting on Boylston Street for her friend to cross the finish line when she found herself pressed against a building, ducking for cover from the blasts.
"At first, I thought it was fireworks, but then I saw the smoke go up in the air," she DelGuzzi, who was standing between the two explosions. "Then, not even a minute later, the second one went off."
She described the scene as "mass chaos" and said, "Oh my God, it was loud."
"The explosions shook everything," she said, her voice still shaking 40 minutes after the bombs went off. "I saw runners down in the street. I saw people down on the sidewalk."
DelGuzzi, 41, has run numerous marathons but was not running in Boston. A friend who was reported she was OK.
The final 100 meters of the race is lined with bleacher seating, reserved for race officials and invited guests. The area on Charles River, on the north side Boylston Street is open to the general public. At the corner of Hereford and Boylston Streets, there is a Boston EMS Medical Tent and a fire station.
The Mandarin Oriental hotel on Huntington has been evacuated. A hotel employee who did not provide his name said all businesses on the block had been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
There is relative calm in the streets, no signs of panic. A volunteer EMT said all resources public and private have been called in for response.
President Obama has been notified of the incident in Boston. His administration is in contact with state and local authorities. He directed his administration to provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response.
The New York Police Department has stepped up security around landmarks in Manhattan, including near prominent hotels, in response to at least one explosion near the finish line of the Boston marathon on Monday, said Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the NYPD.
Browne told Reuters that New York police were re-deploying counter-terrorism vehicles around the city.
Police found two more bombs and disarmed them, officials said. A third blast from a controlled detonation was heard downtown, according to reports.
The marathon organizers announced the source of the explosions, which occurred in quick succession about 2:50 p.m. on Boylston Street near the intersection of Exeter Street, three hours after the winner had crossed the finish line. Some store fronts were blown out.
Bloodied spectators were carried to medical tent intended for runners. Several of the injured had lost limbs, and at least one police officer was hurt.
"Somebody's leg flew by my head. I gave my belt to stop the blood," spectator John Ross told The Boston Herald.
Police reported at least 23 were injured, but hospitals reported receiving more patients.
Massachusetts General Hospital was treating 19 victims, spokeswoman Susan McGreevey said. Tufts New England Medical Center had nine patients "and we're expecting more," said spokeswoman Julie Jette.
Organizers immediately stopped the race and locked down the marathon headquarters.
The elite women runners started the race at 9:30 a.m. and the elite men followed about 30 minutes later. About 27,000 runners were in the field for the Patriots Day race.
Smoke hung over the neighborhood as police cleared the thousands of spectators who had jammed the route.
Kimberly DelGuzzi of Pittsburgh was waiting on Boylston Street for her friend to cross the finish line when she found herself pressed against a building, ducking for cover from the blasts.
"At first, I thought it was fireworks, but then I saw the smoke go up in the air," she DelGuzzi, who was standing between the two explosions. "Then, not even a minute later, the second one went off."
She described the scene as "mass chaos" and said, "Oh my God, it was loud."
"The explosions shook everything," she said, her voice still shaking 40 minutes after the bombs went off. "I saw runners down in the street. I saw people down on the sidewalk."
DelGuzzi, 41, has run numerous marathons but was not running in Boston. A friend who was reported she was OK.
The final 100 meters of the race is lined with bleacher seating, reserved for race officials and invited guests. The area on Charles River, on the north side Boylston Street is open to the general public. At the corner of Hereford and Boylston Streets, there is a Boston EMS Medical Tent and a fire station.
The Mandarin Oriental hotel on Huntington has been evacuated. A hotel employee who did not provide his name said all businesses on the block had been evacuated as a precautionary measure.
There is relative calm in the streets, no signs of panic. A volunteer EMT said all resources public and private have been called in for response.
President Obama has been notified of the incident in Boston. His administration is in contact with state and local authorities. He directed his administration to provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response.
The New York Police Department has stepped up security around landmarks in Manhattan, including near prominent hotels, in response to at least one explosion near the finish line of the Boston marathon on Monday, said Paul Browne, deputy commissioner of the NYPD.
Browne told Reuters that New York police were re-deploying counter-terrorism vehicles around the city.
Source: UsaToday
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