Monday, 15 April 2013
Two explosions at the Boston Marathon leave three dead and more than 140 injured as youngest victim believed to be aged eight
The twin blasts at the race took place almost simultaneously and about 100 metres apart, knocking runners and spectators off their feet, shattering windows and sending smoke rising over the street. The devices found were believed to contain ball bearings.
About two hours after the winners crossed the finish line in the heart of central Boston, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the line. Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick has since warned residents in the city to be vigilant.
Governor Patrick said that although Boston would be 'open' it would not be 'business as usual' after the horrifying explosions and warned there will be a 'heightened security presence' in the city.
He also said that people can expect random checks and should report any suspicious packages and suspicious activity to local police.
The FBI said it was leading a 'potential terrorism investigation' by the city's joint terrorism taskforce into the twin explosions.
But reports of a suspect being held at a city hospital were dismissed by Ed Davis, Boston's Police Commissioner, who told a press conference that no suspect had been arrested.
In a televised address, US President Barack Obama said those responsible will feel the full weight of justice'.
Speaking from the White House, he paid tribute to those who helped wounded runners and spectators, saying: "The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight, and Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss.
'We don't yet have all the answers but we do know that multiple people have been wounded, some gravely, in explosions at the Boston Marathon.'
Mr Obama added: 'We still do not know who did this, or why. And people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts.
'But, make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we will find out why they did this.
'Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.'
Prime Minister David Cameron led politicians in tweeting their solidarity with those affected, saying: 'The scenes from Boston are shocking and horrific - my thoughts are with all those who have been affected.'
Commissioner Davis said there had been two 'simultaneous explosions' near the finish line of the 26.2 mile event around four hours into the race.
He told a press conference in the early hours of this morning that 'at least three people' were dead but that exact figures on the number injured would be released later today.
This cowardly act will not be taken within stride, we will turn every rock over to find the people responsible for this,' he said.
Commissioner Davis earlier said there had also been a third explosion at the JFK Library in the city but he did not believe there were any casualties as a result of that blast.
The explosion is not currently being linked with the two at the race.
Bomb disposal teams carried out a controlled explosion on another suspected device, and Commissioner Davis said a number of unattended packages along the marathon route were being treated with caution.
Boy, 8, one of 3 killed in bombings at Boston Marathon; scores wounded
Two bombs struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, turning a celebration into a bloody scene of destruction.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Monday night that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.
One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, according to a state law enforcement source.
Hospitals reported at least 144 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical condition and 25 in serious condition. At least eight of the patients are children.
At least 10 people injured had limbs amputated, according to a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation.
Several of the patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital suffered injuries to lower limbs that will require "serial operations" in the coming days, trauma surgeon Peter Fagenholz said Monday night. Some injuries were so severe amputations were necessary, Fagenholz added.
Hospitals frantically treat blast victims
“There are legs ... that have been blown off. This is like a bomb explosion that we hear about in the news in Baghdad or Israel or some other tragic place in the world,” said Dr. Alasdair K. Conn, chief of emergency services at Massachusetts General Hospital, where 22 patients were treated, six in critical condition and “very severely injured,” Conn said.
Conn said the first arrivals were all spectators of the 117th Boston Marathon. One, he said, required an emergency blood transfusion and had to be rushed into surgery.
A spokesman for Boston Medical Center confirmed two of the 23 patients being treated there were children, and that most of the injuries doctors tended to were to the victims’ lower legs. Sixteen patients remained in serious condition last night.
A frantic scene unfolded at Boston Medical Ce
A man and woman from Stoneham who turned up at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital said they were told their two nephews each lost a leg.
“I got a call from her sister. I couldn’t understand a word she was saying,” said the victims’ uncle.
He said his nephews, in their late 20s to early 30s, were watching the marathon with friends when one of the bombs went off.
“We just talked to the doctors. One is losing his right leg below the knee,” the aunt said. “The other one (nephew) is here.”
The critically injured include a Boston University student, BU reported. Beth Israel last night reported treating 21 patients.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital took in 28 patients up to age 62, and including a 3-year-old girl who was later transported to Children’s Hospital.
“Injuries range from minor eardrum blasts to really serious limb injuries and serious head injuries, as well,” said Dr. Ron Walls, chief of emergency medicine at Brigham, where two patients were in critical condition and as many as 10 were in serious condition last night.
The hospital’s emergency entrance was protected by police armed with assault weapons. Panicked families clustered outside the doors.
Tufts Medical Center treated nine patients. Hospital spokeswoman Julie Jette said five required surgery for orthopedic and neuromuscular injuries to lower legs she deemed “significant, but not life-threatening.”
“Others have had shrapnel wounds, ruptured eardrums,” Jette said
Boston bombing: Obama says culprits will feel 'weight of justice'
Boston bombing: Obama says culprits will feel 'weight of justice':
"We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," President Obama said in his brief statement after the Boston bombing. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
"We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," President Obama said in his brief statement after the Boston bombing. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
Boston marathon attack kills three and injures dozens in double explosion
Boston marathon attack kills three and injures dozens in double explosion:
• FBI takes over investigation into twin blasts at finish line
• City placed on high alert as police carry out controlled blasts
• Obama: 'The American people will say a prayer for Boston'
• Read about the aftermath in our live blog
Two large explosions at the final stretch of the Boston Marathon killed at least three people and injured more than 100, sending a pall of smoke over the area and staining the sidewalks with blood.
The blasts took place in a crowd of spectators, just feet away from the finish line where hundreds of runners were completing the world's oldest annual marathon. Photographs showed the area along Boylston Street covered in injured people, with security guards and emergency workers scrambling to give first aid.
Witnesses said they had seen victims who had lost limbs. "There were a lot of people down," said Frank Deruyter, who was running the marathon.
The Boston Globe and the local NBC affiliate reported that an eight-year-old was among the dead. At the city's Children's Hospital a nine-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy, a 12-year-old and another child aged two were among the injured, according to the Globe.
Two powerful devices detonated without warning at about 2.50pm ET, the Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters at a media briefing. Asked whether the city was under a terrorist attack, he replied: "We're not being definitive about this right now, but you can reach your own conclusions based on what happened."
Dozens of injured people were taken to local hospitals where some remained in a critical condition on Monday evening. The Associated Press put the number of injured at more than 130.
Police wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles guarded the main entrance of Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday evening. Inside were 29 people injured in the blasts, including eight who were in a critical condition and undergoing surgery. Dr Alasdair Conn, the hospital's chief of emergency services, said at least four of them had arrived with traumatic amputations, meaning their limbs had been blown off.
President Obama, at a briefing at the White House, said: "The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight. Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss."
Obama said he had spoken with the FBI director and the Department of Homeland Security, who were co-ordinating the federal response. He stopped short of using the word "terrorism" to describe the explosions but vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable," he said. "Make no mistake, we will find out who did this and why they did this, and the groups or individuals responsible will feel the full weight of justice."
A White House official, speaking off the record, said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism. But at a press conference on Monday night the FBI special agent who has taken control of the inquiry, Rick DesLauriers, said it was a "criminal investigation and potential terrorism investigation".
He refused to comment on reports that police had found a number of unexploded devices or that a "person of interest" was being treated at Brigham and Women's hospital in the city. The police commissioner flatly denied reports there was a suspect at the hospital.
Davis described the loss of life as "horrendous", adding: "This cowardly act will not be taken in stride. We will turn every rock over to find the people who are responsible for this."
The Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, said the city would be open on Tuesday "but it will not be business as usual".
The blasts came at the climax of what should have been a day of great celebration for Boston and for marathon runners from around the world. The 26.2-mile race, which started in 1897 and is one of six World Marathon Majors, has almost 27,000 participants and attracts up to 500,000 spectators, making it a massive security operation for the local authorities.
The event takes place on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday to mark the first battles of the revolutionary war against Britain. Monday is also "Tax Day" in the US, the deadline for individuals to file their tax returns.
After the explosions the city went into high alert. All off-duty police officers were brought back on the job and told that a maximum alert would remain indefinitely. Tests and controlled explosions were carried out on scores of parcels and backpacks that had been left strewn along the parade line in the panic that followed the blasts.
A no-fly zone was imposed in the immediate zone of the incidents and flights into local airports were suspended briefly. Boston residents and visitors to the marathon were advised to return home or stay in their hotel rooms, and to avoid congregating in public spaces. "People should be calm but they should understand this is an ongoing event," the police chief said.
Dennis Crowley, the founder of social media company Foursquare, was running in the race. He used Twitter to reassure family and friends that he was safe. His cousin witnessed the explosion and was "shaken but OK. FYI no one at mi 26 has any idea what's happening," he tweeted.
Crowley said cell phone service had been swamped by worried callers, mobile batteries were running out and runners were struggling to get through to their friends and relatives.
Doctors treating the 29 patients brought to Massachusetts General Hospital after Monday's blasts were seeing "a lot of shrapnel injuries", said Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon.
Many of the most seriously wounded had sustained damage to their lower limbs, he said. Several of the patients had traumatic amputations and at least one patient had a shattered eardrum, Fagenholz said.
It was too early to say "how everybody is going to do" and a number of the patients would need repeated surgery in the coming days. Fagenholz added: "They're pretty brave, you know? It's a terrible thing and most patients' attitude is just 'Do what you have to do and try to make me better.'"
A spokesman for the White House said the administration was in contact with state and local authorities, with White House officials instructed to provide whatever assistance was necessary in the investigation and response.
Security was stepped up in New York City, with the NYPD's critical response vehicles being deployed, though it was not clear whether the move was a routine precaution or based on any specific intelligence.
In Boston there were accounts that the windows of a local restaurant were blown out. Security was stepped up in hotels and public buildings throughout the city.
Chris Cassidy, a reporter with the Boston Herald who was taking part in the marathon, said he saw two explosions, accompanied by a loud bang and then smoke rising. "I kept running and I heard behind me a loud bang. It looked like it was in a trash can or something. That one was in front of Abe and Louie's. There are people who have been hit with debris, people with bloody foreheads."
Among the injured was Dean Smith, who had been standing close to the second blast site to watch his 27-year-old son finish the race. Both he and his son suffered minor injuries. "It felt like it was right there," he told the Guardian as he left hospital on Monday night, pointing to his car two feet away. "It was really close. My wife said I flew five feet."
Smith sustained a minor shrapnel wound to his right calf. His back was also injured and both his eardrums burst, he said. His son was expected to make a full recovery, he added.
Shaan Gandhi, a medical student at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the hospital was working flat out to take care of the injured. "It's supposed to be a really happy day," he said. "It's supposed to be a really quiet day and then this all happens."
He said he had seen a patient with severe leg injuries. "We were just trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible and try to save his life," Gandhi said. "I've never seen something like this."
This year's Boston Marathon, the 177th annual race in the city, was being staged in commemoration of the Newtown school shooting, in which 20 young children and six educators were killed in December. The finishing mile was dedicated to the victims of Newtown.
• City placed on high alert as police carry out controlled blasts
• Obama: 'The American people will say a prayer for Boston'
• Read about the aftermath in our live blog
Two large explosions at the final stretch of the Boston Marathon killed at least three people and injured more than 100, sending a pall of smoke over the area and staining the sidewalks with blood.
The blasts took place in a crowd of spectators, just feet away from the finish line where hundreds of runners were completing the world's oldest annual marathon. Photographs showed the area along Boylston Street covered in injured people, with security guards and emergency workers scrambling to give first aid.
Witnesses said they had seen victims who had lost limbs. "There were a lot of people down," said Frank Deruyter, who was running the marathon.
The Boston Globe and the local NBC affiliate reported that an eight-year-old was among the dead. At the city's Children's Hospital a nine-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy, a 12-year-old and another child aged two were among the injured, according to the Globe.
Two powerful devices detonated without warning at about 2.50pm ET, the Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters at a media briefing. Asked whether the city was under a terrorist attack, he replied: "We're not being definitive about this right now, but you can reach your own conclusions based on what happened."
Dozens of injured people were taken to local hospitals where some remained in a critical condition on Monday evening. The Associated Press put the number of injured at more than 130.
Police wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles guarded the main entrance of Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday evening. Inside were 29 people injured in the blasts, including eight who were in a critical condition and undergoing surgery. Dr Alasdair Conn, the hospital's chief of emergency services, said at least four of them had arrived with traumatic amputations, meaning their limbs had been blown off.
President Obama, at a briefing at the White House, said: "The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight. Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss."
Obama said he had spoken with the FBI director and the Department of Homeland Security, who were co-ordinating the federal response. He stopped short of using the word "terrorism" to describe the explosions but vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.
"We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable," he said. "Make no mistake, we will find out who did this and why they did this, and the groups or individuals responsible will feel the full weight of justice."
A White House official, speaking off the record, said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism. But at a press conference on Monday night the FBI special agent who has taken control of the inquiry, Rick DesLauriers, said it was a "criminal investigation and potential terrorism investigation".
He refused to comment on reports that police had found a number of unexploded devices or that a "person of interest" was being treated at Brigham and Women's hospital in the city. The police commissioner flatly denied reports there was a suspect at the hospital.
Davis described the loss of life as "horrendous", adding: "This cowardly act will not be taken in stride. We will turn every rock over to find the people who are responsible for this."
The Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, said the city would be open on Tuesday "but it will not be business as usual".
The blasts came at the climax of what should have been a day of great celebration for Boston and for marathon runners from around the world. The 26.2-mile race, which started in 1897 and is one of six World Marathon Majors, has almost 27,000 participants and attracts up to 500,000 spectators, making it a massive security operation for the local authorities.
The event takes place on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday to mark the first battles of the revolutionary war against Britain. Monday is also "Tax Day" in the US, the deadline for individuals to file their tax returns.
After the explosions the city went into high alert. All off-duty police officers were brought back on the job and told that a maximum alert would remain indefinitely. Tests and controlled explosions were carried out on scores of parcels and backpacks that had been left strewn along the parade line in the panic that followed the blasts.
A no-fly zone was imposed in the immediate zone of the incidents and flights into local airports were suspended briefly. Boston residents and visitors to the marathon were advised to return home or stay in their hotel rooms, and to avoid congregating in public spaces. "People should be calm but they should understand this is an ongoing event," the police chief said.
'A loud boom ... then glass everywhere'
Wounded people were taken to the medical tent that had originally been set up to treat weary runners. One of the victims included a Boston police officer seen being wheeled away from the scene with a bleeding leg. Cherie Falgoust, who was waiting for her husband to finish the race, said: "I was expecting my husband any minute. I don't know what this building is … it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don't know what it was. I just ducked."Dennis Crowley, the founder of social media company Foursquare, was running in the race. He used Twitter to reassure family and friends that he was safe. His cousin witnessed the explosion and was "shaken but OK. FYI no one at mi 26 has any idea what's happening," he tweeted.
Crowley said cell phone service had been swamped by worried callers, mobile batteries were running out and runners were struggling to get through to their friends and relatives.
Doctors treating the 29 patients brought to Massachusetts General Hospital after Monday's blasts were seeing "a lot of shrapnel injuries", said Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon.
Many of the most seriously wounded had sustained damage to their lower limbs, he said. Several of the patients had traumatic amputations and at least one patient had a shattered eardrum, Fagenholz said.
It was too early to say "how everybody is going to do" and a number of the patients would need repeated surgery in the coming days. Fagenholz added: "They're pretty brave, you know? It's a terrible thing and most patients' attitude is just 'Do what you have to do and try to make me better.'"
A spokesman for the White House said the administration was in contact with state and local authorities, with White House officials instructed to provide whatever assistance was necessary in the investigation and response.
Security was stepped up in New York City, with the NYPD's critical response vehicles being deployed, though it was not clear whether the move was a routine precaution or based on any specific intelligence.
In Boston there were accounts that the windows of a local restaurant were blown out. Security was stepped up in hotels and public buildings throughout the city.
Chris Cassidy, a reporter with the Boston Herald who was taking part in the marathon, said he saw two explosions, accompanied by a loud bang and then smoke rising. "I kept running and I heard behind me a loud bang. It looked like it was in a trash can or something. That one was in front of Abe and Louie's. There are people who have been hit with debris, people with bloody foreheads."
Among the injured was Dean Smith, who had been standing close to the second blast site to watch his 27-year-old son finish the race. Both he and his son suffered minor injuries. "It felt like it was right there," he told the Guardian as he left hospital on Monday night, pointing to his car two feet away. "It was really close. My wife said I flew five feet."
Smith sustained a minor shrapnel wound to his right calf. His back was also injured and both his eardrums burst, he said. His son was expected to make a full recovery, he added.
Shaan Gandhi, a medical student at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the hospital was working flat out to take care of the injured. "It's supposed to be a really happy day," he said. "It's supposed to be a really quiet day and then this all happens."
He said he had seen a patient with severe leg injuries. "We were just trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible and try to save his life," Gandhi said. "I've never seen something like this."
This year's Boston Marathon, the 177th annual race in the city, was being staged in commemoration of the Newtown school shooting, in which 20 young children and six educators were killed in December. The finishing mile was dedicated to the victims of Newtown.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)