Boston Marathon Bombing News
One explosion happened around 2:50 p.m. outside Marathon Sports on Boylston Street as thousands of runners were finishing the race. Seconds later, a second explosion occurred further up the marathon route in front of Forum, a restaurant with a patio.There were two “incredibly powerful explosions just seconds apart,” said WBZ-TV’s Lisa Hughes, who was at the scene covering the marathon.
Barack Obama vowed to find and punish those responsible, as a senior White House official said the attacks were being treated as an act of terrorism.
Mr Obama said officials "still do not know who did this or why".
But he vowed: "We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
A European security official with knowledge of the US investigation said initial evidence suggests suicide bombers were not involved.
The marathon is held every year on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday which commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution in 1775.
A woman is comforted by a man near a triage tent set up for the Boston Marathon after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston One witness is comforted near a triage tent in the aftermath
The explosions happened four hours into the race and about two hours after the men's winner had crossed the line, as amateur runners were reaching the finish.
More than 17,000 competitors had completed the race by the time the blasts struck.
TV helicopter footage showed blood on the ground and the desperate efforts of rescuers in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.
Peter J. Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital said that many of the 29 victims of Monday’s bombing sustained “complex lower extremity trauma.”
Doctors performed several amputations, he said at a news conference on Monday evening. Some victims suffered from shrapnel wounds and at least one person was being treated for a shattered eardrum.
He said eight of the victims at the hospital were in critical condition, and that a number of patients will require repeat operations in the days to come.
He said the volume of patients was unprecedented, and some of the injuries were particularly gruesome. But he had high regard for the patients.
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