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.
In Washington,
President Barack Obama vowed, "Any responsible individuals, any
responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
Boston "is a tough and resilient
town," he said, adding that Americans will stand by Bostonians "every
single step of the way."
'Like a huge cannon'
The
terrorist attack, near the marathon's finish line, triggered widespread
screaming and chaos, shattered windows and barricades and sent smoke billowing
into the air at Copley Square.
The blasts were about 50 to 100 yards apart, officials said, on a stretch of
the marathon course lined with spectators cheering runners through the final
yards of a 26-mile, 385-yard endurance feat.
"It
felt like a huge cannon," a witness told CNN about one of the blasts.
Allan
Panter, a doctor who was near the finish line waiting for his wife to finish
the race, told CNN he was standing about 20 to 25 feet from the first blast. He
said he treated victims on the street after the explosion.
"I
saw at least six to seven people down next to me," he said. "They
protected me from the blast. One lady expired. One gentleman lost both his
(lower) limbs. Most of the injuries were lower extremities."
Bill Iffrig, 78 and a veteran marathoner, was
nearing the finish when "the shock waves just hit my whole body and my
legs just started jittering around." Iffrig, who can be seen in video of
the explosion wearing an orange tank top, was helped to his feet by an event
volunteer and had just a scratch from his fall, he told CNN.
Federal
authorities are classifying the bombings as a terrorist attack, but it's not
clear whether the origin was domestic or foreign, a federal law enforcement
official with knowledge of the investigation said.
A
federal law enforcement official told CNN that both bombs were small, and initial
tests showed no C-4 or other high-grade explosive material, suggesting that the
packages used in the attack were crude explosive devices.
Another explosive device
found
Authorities
in Boston found
at least one other explosive device that they were dismantling, Boston Police
Commissioner Ed Davis said.
Rep.
Bill Keating of Massachusetts,
meanwhile, said two more were found.
One
unexploded device was found at a hotel on Boylston Street near the bomb site and
another unexploded device was found at an undisclosed location, Keating, a
Democrat and member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. He called
the bombing a "sophisticated, coordinated, planned attack."
It was unclear who may have planted the
marathon bombs. There were no credible threats before the race, a state
government official said.
There
is no suspect in custody, but many people are being questioned, Davis said.
Investigators
warned police to be on the lookout for a "darker-skinned or black
male" with a possible foreign accent in connection with the attack,
according to a law enforcement advisory obtained by CNN. The man was seen with
a black backpack and sweatshirt and was trying to get into a restricted area
about five minutes before the first explosion, the lookout notice states.
Also,
a Saudi national with a leg wound was under guard at a Boston hospital in connection with the
bombings, but investigators cannot say he is involved at this time and he is
not in custody, a law enforcement official said Monday evening.
In
addition to scrutinizing images of surveillance cameras in the area, the FBI
likely was issuing subpoenas for records from cell towers in the area to
isolate and trace calls from around Copley
Square at the time of the blasts, according to a
former federal law enforcement official who now works in the intelligence
community.
The unexploded devices that were recovered
could provide a treasure trove of information such as fingerprints and
indications of the bomb maker's design, and from the bombs that did explode,
investigators would be looking for fragments and anything indicating the
"signature" of the bomb makers, the official told CNN.
As
authorities searched the scene, numerous suspicious packages were found,
possibly because people fled the area, leaving items behind. Investigators were
checking them.
All
off-duty Boston
police were called in.
The
Marriott hotel at Copley Place
was evacuated as a precaution.
The
Lenox Hotel was also evacuated as a precaution, the Boston Globe reported.
'Horrific day'
Crowds
were in the area watching the runners take part in the world's oldest annual
marathon.
It
was also Patriots Day, commemorating the opening battle of the Revolutionary
War.
Within
seconds, the festive occasion turned into devastation.
"This
is a horrific day in Boston,"
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.
"My
thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured. I have been in touch
with the president, Mayor (Thomas) Menino and our public safety leaders. Our
focus is on making sure that the area around Copley Square is safe and secured. I am
asking everyone to stay away from Copley
Square and let the first responders do their
jobs."
U.S.
Attorney General Eric Holder spoke with FBI Director Robert Mueller and U.S.
Attorney Carmen Ortiz, a Justice Department official said. Holder has directed
the full resources of the Justice Department to be deployed to ensure the
matter is fully investigated, the official said.
The
Federal Aviation Administration placed a flight restriction over the site of
the blasts.
Other
cities, including New York and Washington, tightened
security as a result. Following standard protocol, the White House cleared out
an area in front of the West Wing.
Mike
Baingon, who works at the Atlantic Fish Company in Boston, said an explosion took place in front
of the restaurant and that he was right by the front door at the time.
The
explosions occurred at about 2:45 p.m., more than two hours after the first of
the race's nearly 27,000 runners had crossed the finish line, CNN Producer Matt
Frucci reported.
The
race was halted as was subway service into the area.
Troops
from the Massachusetts National Guard, already at the site as part of the
marathon's security and crowd-management plan, were assisting police as well.
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