Twin Blasts Near Boston Marathon Finish Line Leave 2 Dead, Scores More Injured
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Monday, April 15, 2013, at 7:52 PM
Two explosions went off near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013.
Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Photo by David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
A scary and uncertain story unfolded this afternoon in Boston, where
twin explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed at
least two people and injured a still-unknown number of others. Police
pegged the number of injured at 23 earlier today, but that total appears
to have grown in the hours since the blast as more people arrive at
local hospitals. The Boston Globe and CNN more recently estimated the number of injuries at more than 100.
"The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight," President
Obama said during an evening briefing at the White House during which
he made it clear that it's too early to say who was behind the attack.
"But make no mistake we will get to the bottom of this and we will find
out who did this and we will find out why they did this. Any responsible
groups will feel the full weight of justice," he said.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told reporters late this
afternoon that officers were continuing to search the course and
surrounding area for any other potential explosive devices. "This is
very much an ongoing event at this time," he said then. The Associated Press,
citing unnamed intelligence officials, reported that police found two
other undetonated explosive devices along the course, a report that has
since been reported independently by CNN but not officially confirmed by local authorities.
Obama's remarks were noteworthy for his decision to avoid using the words terror or terrorism,
a pair of words that have become increasingly loaded in the past
decade. White House officials speaking to reporters off the record
following the press conference were less cautious, however. One told NBC's Chuck Todd
that it was "clearly an act of terror." Davis, likewise, struck only a
small note of caution when asked about a possible terrorism connection.
"You can draw your own conclusions based on what happened," he told
reporters.
Davis did confirm that there was a third incident at Boston's JFK
Library sometime after the finish-line blasts. While the commissioner
initially suggested the two events might be related, he later walked
those comments back. The library, meanwhile, maintains the two are
unrelated.
No one has come forward to claim responsibility for the blasts and
the Boston Police Department says it has no suspects in custody. The Globe reported late Monday evening
that police were questioning a "person of interest," although that
classification provides little information other than to suggest
authorities are interviewing someone.
The explosion and the aftermath were also captured on film by a number of reporters near the scene. The Boston Globe's John Tlumacki snapped what so far has been the most iconic of the photos pouring in over Twitter:
NECN's Jackie Bruno was also among the first reporters to post photos, including this one of the immediate aftermath:
Moments before she offered an even more grisly assessment: "I saw
people's legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming
in and saw unspeakable horror." That account appears supported by the
early word from hospital officials:
Here's a snapshot from Google Maps to give you an idea of where the finish line is:
You can view more photos from the Boston bombing here. Warning: a few are quite graphic.
Labels: Disaster, Security, Sports, Terrorism, United States
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