Injuries reported after 2 blasts at Boston Marathon
Bloody spectators were being taken away from the scene where two loud booms were heard three hours after winners crossed finish line.
Many injuries were reported Monday after two explosions ripped through the crowd near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Fox News quoted a law enforcement source as saying at least three people had died. The Boston Herald reported at least a dozen injuries.
Authorities have not identified the cause or source of the explosions.
Witnesses said the blasts 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 has 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 Herald.
The Massachusetts General Hospital has received four patients injured in the Boston Marathon explosions, said Heather Clucas, a hospital spokewoman. She did not know their conditions.
"That's all we have, the situation is still unfolding," she said.
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.
"There are a lot of people down," one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter, told the Associated Press.
Smoke hung over the neighborhood as police cleared the thousands of spectators who had jammed the route.
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.
Contributing: Susan Davis, Oren Dorell, Roxanna Scott, Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY.
"Somebody's leg flew by my head. I gave my belt to stop the blood," spectator John Ross told the Herald.
The Massachusetts General Hospital has received four patients injured in the Boston Marathon explosions, said Heather Clucas, a hospital spokewoman. She did not know their conditions.
"That's all we have, the situation is still unfolding," she said.
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.
"There are a lot of people down," one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter, told the Associated Press.
Smoke hung over the neighborhood as police cleared the thousands of spectators who had jammed the route.
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.
Contributing: Susan Davis, Oren Dorell, Roxanna Scott, Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY.
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