Explosions rock Boston Marathon: 3 killed, 140+ injured (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Explosions rock Boston Marathon: 3 killed, 140+ injured (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
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Published time: April 15, 2013 19:34
Edited time: April 16, 2013 12:26
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The Boston Marathon turned from a test of endurance into a scene from a war zone in moments as twin blasts, 12 seconds apart, rocked the finish line. Over 140 people were injured, with three killed, including an eight-year-old boy.
Two explosions occurred near the finish line of the 26.2-mile (42km) event at 2:50pm local time (18:50 GMT). The attack left sidewalks covered in blood and injured piled on top of one another, with many receiving serious injuries, including lost limbs. The marathon gathered half a million people from 50 nations.
The authorities have not officially confirmed whether the explosions were a terror attack or not and no suspects have yet been identified.
Follow RT's Live Updates on the blasts.
Witnesses described the events as a ‘major tragedy’ and the ‘scariest thing’ they have ever seen.
“I was there with my sister when the first bomb went off. There was just a silence that went over the crowd and then immediately screams started happening, and she grabbed my hand and said, just start running!” Kara Kimball told RT.
A runner in a wheelchair is taken from a triage tent after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013 (Reuters / Jessica Rinaldi)
When the twin blasts occurred - almost simultaneously about 90 meters apart - many initially thought it was an end-of-the-event celebration with fireworks. Only after they saw plumes of smoke and people falling down with limbs torn off did they realize it was not a happy spectacle.
“We started running but at the place where we were at, where the stage comes out where people run through the finish line, the crowd bottlenecks and it became immediately a very, very scary situation where a woman was on her bike and had fallen and people were just unable to get out and at that point the second bomb went off,” Kara recalled.
"We saw the first bomb go off, and people…sorry…blow up in the street and then the one further down," she said crying. "We were worried it was going to go off in the stands where we were," Hannah Truslow told AP.
Two explosions occured near boston marathon finish line Boston Marathon
Andrea George was watching the event from across the street: “It was the scariest thing I ever saw,” she told Boston.com.
“When I looked up, I saw people with bloody heads, people with their shirts blown off, and what looked like a 10-year-old boy who was unconscious,” John Boyden added.
image from @GlobeDavidLRyan
Investigation
Federal aviation authorities have declared a no-fly zone over the area and authorities including the US Air Force continue to attempt to secure the scene. The aviation restrictions have reportedly extended to an order that all flights out of Boston's Logan Airport be grounded until further notice.
An intelligence official working on the scene told the Associated Press that two additional explosive devices were found inside garbage cans near the site. Other reports say there were a total of five unexploded devices found following the blasts.
As law enforcement look for further explosives, they have reportedly told people in the area to stay off mobile phones for fears that the signal could detonate another undiscovered device.
Explosions rock Boston Marathon: 3 killed, 140+ injured (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Get short URL
Published time: April 15, 2013 19:34
Edited time: April 16, 2013 12:26
Share on Tumblr
Download video (7.69 MB)
Embed
The Boston Marathon turned from a test of endurance into a scene from a war zone in moments as twin blasts, 12 seconds apart, rocked the finish line. Over 140 people were injured, with three killed, including an eight-year-old boy.
Two explosions occurred near the finish line of the 26.2-mile (42km) event at 2:50pm local time (18:50 GMT). The attack left sidewalks covered in blood and injured piled on top of one another, with many receiving serious injuries, including lost limbs. The marathon gathered half a million people from 50 nations.
The authorities have not officially confirmed whether the explosions were a terror attack or not and no suspects have yet been identified.
Follow RT's Live Updates on the blasts.
Witnesses described the events as a ‘major tragedy’ and the ‘scariest thing’ they have ever seen.
“I was there with my sister when the first bomb went off. There was just a silence that went over the crowd and then immediately screams started happening, and she grabbed my hand and said, just start running!” Kara Kimball told RT.
When the twin blasts occurred - almost simultaneously about 90 meters apart - many initially thought it was an end-of-the-event celebration with fireworks. Only after they saw plumes of smoke and people falling down with limbs torn off did they realize it was not a happy spectacle.
“We started running but at the place where we were at, where the stage comes out where people run through the finish line, the crowd bottlenecks and it became immediately a very, very scary situation where a woman was on her bike and had fallen and people were just unable to get out and at that point the second bomb went off,” Kara recalled.
"We saw the first bomb go off, and people…sorry…blow up in the street and then the one further down," she said crying. "We were worried it was going to go off in the stands where we were," Hannah Truslow told AP.
Andrea George was watching the event from across the street: “It was the scariest thing I ever saw,” she told Boston.com.
“When I looked up, I saw people with bloody heads, people with their shirts blown off, and what looked like a 10-year-old boy who was unconscious,” John Boyden added.
Investigation
Federal aviation authorities have declared a no-fly zone over the area and authorities including the US Air Force continue to attempt to secure the scene. The aviation restrictions have reportedly extended to an order that all flights out of Boston's Logan Airport be grounded until further notice.
An intelligence official working on the scene told the Associated Press that two additional explosive devices were found inside garbage cans near the site. Other reports say there were a total of five unexploded devices found following the blasts.
As law enforcement look for further explosives, they have reportedly told people in the area to stay off mobile phones for fears that the signal could detonate another undiscovered device.
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