News Explosion reported near Boston Marathon finish line

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Two explosions occurred near the Boston Marathon finish line, resulting in at least two deaths and over 100 injuries, including many critical cases. Witnesses reported severe injuries, with some victims losing limbs, and the area was evacuated. A third explosion was initially reported at the JFK Library, but later deemed a normal fire. Authorities have identified a suspect, a Saudi national, who is currently under guard at a hospital. Investigators recovered bomb components, indicating the devices were pressure cookers packed with shrapnel.
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http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Explosion-reported-near-Boston-Marathon-finish-line/-/11971628/19757044/-/odjbsx/-/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Two explosions have been reported near the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street, and there are reports of injuries.

Crews were sent to 617 Boylston St. at about 2:30 p.m. Witnesses said several victims lost limbs, and the area was being evacuated.
 
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CNN has some video showing the explosion near the finish line as it occurred. Haven't found anything on youtube that is very good yet but one guy already posted a picture with a music track. :confused:

If you see the explosion near the finish line, look up the street and you can see a second cloud of smoke about a block further down the street.
 
CNN is now reporting 2 dead and 28 injured.
 
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Evidently there was a third explosion at the JFK Library.
 
fyi, mile 26 was dedicated to the Newton shooting victims. It's also where the VIP section was where the families were watching.
 
FB reports from friends in Boston say the cell service has been shut off to avoid more detonations.
 
This is really upsetting. I've run several marathons. I'm usually one of the people that finish in the four to five hour range - which is when the bombs went off. It's the people that aren't professionals, who aren't super athletes, who train to meet a goal or to lose weight or just to do something amazing, who were crossing the finish line when this happened. It really hits close to home.
 
  • #11
This is really upsetting. I've run several marathons. I'm usually one of the people that finish in the four to five hour range - which is when the bombs went off. It's the people that aren't professionals, who aren't super athletes, who train to meet a goal or to lose weight or just to do something amazing, who were crossing the finish line when this happened. It really hits close to home.
Yeah it's disgusting.

Do you know if any of the athletes were hurt? I saw a picture of a guy who got his legs blown off. I think he was a spectator or something. But that's just sad.
 
  • #13
Borg said:
CNN has some video showing the explosion near the finish line as it occurred. Haven't found anything on youtube that is very good yet but one guy already posted a picture with a music track. :confused:

Here's some footage (might be disturbing to some):
 
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  • #15
NBC is reporting that the library may have just been a normal fire. They are also reporting more than 100 people being treated at hospitals.
 
  • #16
Borg said:
NBC is reporting that the library may have just been a normal fire.
Yes. I've heard that also. Let's hope so.
 
  • #17
Just spoke to my sister in Boston. She knows a bunch of people who were running (she's a marathon runner but did not run it) including two people from her office, all of which apparently were fine.
 
  • #18
cristo said:
Here's some footage (might be disturbing to some):

That's just awful.
 
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  • #19
Borg said:
NBC is reporting that the library may have just been a normal fire. They are also reporting more than 100 people being treated at hospitals.
CNN reported ~110 injured, including a number of children. Eight injured are in critical condition, and about 10 or so in serious condition. One of the dead may be an 8-year old child.
 
  • #20
Yikes apparently my fiance's maid of honor was at the end line 30min before the first explosion. So horrible.
 
  • #21
Greg Bernhardt said:
Authorities ID suspect as Saudi national in marathon bombings, under guard at Boston hospital

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/nation...source=SFnewyorkpost&utm_medium=SFnewyorkpost

cristo said:
BBC are quoting police commissioner as saying reports police have a suspect in custody are inaccurate.

As is anything else from the new york post. They were reporting 12 dead when the number is 2.

nypost = not a news source.

-Dave K
 
  • #22
dkotschessaa said:
This is really upsetting. I've run several marathons. I'm usually one of the people that finish in the four to five hour range - which is when the bombs went off. It's the people that aren't professionals, who aren't super athletes, who train to meet a goal or to lose weight or just to do something amazing, who were crossing the finish line when this happened. It really hits close to home.

My sentiments as a runner too, though obviously it's sad no matter who got killed or injured.
 
  • #23
Bombings, shooting sprees, assasinations...crazy. What was that old Chinese curse? May you live in interesting times? Interesting times indeed.
 
  • #24
Ugh. This is annoying.
 
  • #25
I had to review the list of registered runners, and luckily Bub hadn't signed up this year. He was never a top marathoner, which could have put him in the target time.

I would like times to be less "interesting".
 
  • #26
Truly awful. I have no words for it.
 
  • #27
No-one does really. Peaceful group of people running for a cause are disrupted and brutally injured or murdered because of some idiot. Sometimes the irrationality of a person is beyond comprehension, it is just a cause of having a higher level of consciousness than most animals. These people will themselves towards their own depraved notions of the world and would like to inflict harm unto others where it is not due, if ever any harm is due onto anyone. Their values are misdirected.
 
  • #28
It was the spectators on the sidewalk that were targeted, not the runners.
 
  • #30
Apparently a third person has died.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22160691
Details of the victims have not been revealed, however the Associated Press news agency reported that an eight-year-old boy was among the dead. Quoting a family friend, the report said the boy's mother and sister were also injured as they waited for his father to finish the race.

. . . .
 
  • #31
Everyone seems to be in a haze today. Or maybe I am just in a haze. I don't know. My lab at Boston University is less than a mile from the bombing site. It's terrible.
 
  • #32
I live about 3/4 of a mile from the finish line, and had considered going to see the marathon at some point yesterday. I'm kind of glad I felt lazy yesterday and decided to stay home.

People couldn't reach me by cell phone, so my girlfriend and family members were worried about me. Girlfriend was at work, family members are back in Baltimore. I received two texts, but couldn't send any texts or phone calls out. I don't have a facebook, so I had to email people that I wasn't at the race.

Just horrible all around.
 
  • #33
Senseless is the word. Yeah, genius, you killed an 8 year old boy and a college girl. Good job, you defeated the bad guys. Now they won't threaten you anymore. Absurd.
 
  • #34
DiracPool said:
Senseless is the word. Yeah, genius, you killed an 8 year old boy and a college girl. Good job, you defeated the bad guys. Now they won't threaten you anymore. Absurd.
I believe the word 'depraved' is appropriate here.
 
  • #35
When do we get a conspiracy theory that today's Iranian earthquake was triggered by the CIA :biggrin:
 
  • #36
Evo said:
It was the spectators on the sidewalk that were targeted, not the runners.

This is misleading. You have no idea who the targets of this attack were as we don't even know whom the suspects are as of yet. So, making claims such as, "people on the sidewalk were the targets, not the runners," is unfounded and needs a citation if you are to make such claims.

Aside from that, the person(s) that carried out this attack possibly wouldn't find it feasible to plant bombs on the running track. That is silly to think they'd be able to place bombs on the track without anyone noticing.

All we know is bombs went off at the event, people were injured as a result, nothing more.
 
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  • #37
Mentalist said:
Aside from that, the person(s) that carried out this attack possibly wouldn't find it feasible to plant bombs on the running track. That is silly to think they'd be able to place bombs on the track without anyone noticing.
And that is why the runners weren't the target.
 
  • #38
Still, you cannot assume that they weren't the targets. Your opinion isn't fact.
 
  • #39
Mentalist said:
Still, you cannot assume that they weren't the targets. Your opinion isn't fact.

You said yourself that the IED could not have been on the track. De facto, the people one the sidewalk were on the front line, they were the main victims, and hence can be logically called "target". It is however not logical to claim "they wanted to aim at the president, but the white house was inaccessible" I think we can agree on that one.
 
  • #40
This is a possible picture of the second bomb. http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/10010384080855/exclusive-fbi-investigating-photo-that-shows-bag/
 
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  • #41
nsaspook said:
This is a possible picture of the second bomb. http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/10010384080855/exclusive-fbi-investigating-photo-that-shows-bag/

Wow...just, wow.
 
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  • #42
lisab said:
Wow...just, wow.

Makes me sick looking at the people right in front on it
 
  • #43
Greg Bernhardt said:
Makes me sick looking at the people right in front on it

Agreed, very disturbing photo.

Such a tragedy hearing about it and such madness.

My father ran it last year and he finished in the second wave, I couldn't even imagine him going again this year -- only to be hit. I talked with him a few hours ago asking if he had any friends that went this year and he told me that there were two people he knew that were there, but he said they finished just 20 minutes before the explosions went off. Thankfully, they're all right.

Still though makes me sad just thinking about it.
 
  • #44
nsaspook said:
This is a possible picture of the second bomb. http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/10010384080855/exclusive-fbi-investigating-photo-that-shows-bag/
It doesn't seem likely, according to officials.

Investigators have also recovered components of the bombs, enabling them to determine that they consisted of two 6-liter pressure cookers packed with nails, ball bearings, and other metal. The makeshift bombs were placed in black duffel bags, the official said.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/16/some-areas-downtown-boston-reopen-today-boston-marathon-bombing-investigation-continues/qTROe6L0b98qRl9W7dnWiJ/story.html
 
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  • #45
interesting photos here...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...phs-Is-second-bomb-just-seconds-exploded.html



article-2310200-19555E9E000005DC-383_470x423.jpg


They found a circuit board.
The time between blasts sounds about right for a second cellphone call.
I think they'll find the culprits.

Every one of these incidents takes me right back to Joseph Conrad's "Secret Agent", a character study of stupidness. This could be from watching too much "Beavis and Butthead" .
 
  • #46
Just announced, an arrest has been made thanks to surveillance video from the Lord & Taylor store near the blast.
 
  • #47
Evo said:
Just announced, an arrest has been made thanks to surveillance video from the Lord & Taylor store near the blast.

Good news. Source?
 
  • #49
Evo said:
Now they say no arrest made yet.

Lol.

I'm done with this. Gonna go watch some SportsCenter.
 
  • #50
nsaspook said:
This is a possible picture of the second bomb. http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/boston/10010384080855/exclusive-fbi-investigating-photo-that-shows-bag/

Nothing happened to the mail box nearby?

The 6 year old girl whose leg was blown off makes me very sad.
 
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