Two explosions tore through downtown Boston today, killing at least three of the thousands of people who'd gathered to watch that city's famous marathon race. The explosions went off near the race's finish line, causing mass panic and ripping off people's limbs, according to early eyewitness accounts. Explosives units have been dispatched to investigate another suspicious device in the area as EMTs and doctors attend to the reportedly dozens of wounded.
Though details right now are sketchy, various media outlets and citizens on the scene are reporting that things are grisly and chaotic, but police and medical teams have been quick to respond.
Victims with lost limbs wheeled from scene. #wcvb
— Sean Kelly (@SeanKellyTV) April 15, 2013
10:55 PM EST: CNN now puts the number people of injured at 144. Of those, at least eight were children.
10:45 PM EST: People throughout New York City are showing their support for Boston.
In NYC our thoughts are with #Bostontonight. Our hopes are for #peace. #bostonmarathon twitter.com/illuminator99/…
— The Illuminator (@illuminator99) April 16, 2013
9:05 PM EST: In a just-finished press conference, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis confirmed that the death toll is now three. There are no suspects in custody.
8:55 PM EST: The first question in the latest Boston bombing press conference was from a man who asked if the incident was a "false-flag, staged attack" meant to undermine our civil liberties, a recent refrain of Infowars lunatic Alex Jones. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's response: "No." The man who'd asked the question was later discovered to be without press credentials.
8:40 PM EST: CNN reports police are on the lookout for a suspect resembling this horribly vague description: A "darker-skinned or black male" with "a possible foreign accent" who had attempted to gain entry to a restricted area a few minutes before the first blast. The man was wearing a dark sweatshirt and dark backpack.
8:25 PM EST: Boston SWAT teams have been dispatched to area hospitals, but police say the move was strictly procedural, telling WCVB, "Don't read into it."
8:15 PM EST: The White House just released this photo depicting President Obama being briefed on the Boston bombings by FBI Director Robert Mueller. To Obama's left is Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. On his right is Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.
8:05 PM EST: More from CNN from Boston-area hospitals: At least 17 of those wounded are in critical condition, at least 25 are in serious condition, and at least 10 limbs have been amputated.
7:59 PM EST: Massachusetts General tweets it is not on lockdown, despite what the media may say:
Contrary to some reports, #MGH is not currently on lockdown.
— MassGeneral News (@MassGeneralNews) April 15, 2013
5:54 PM EST: President Obama will be issuing a statement at 6:10 PM EST.
5:45 PM EST: Twitter user Clare Richardson captures a heightened police presence in New York's Times Square:
5:37 PM EST: NBC News reports that police are guarding a "possible suspect" at a Boston hospital, though, unlike the Post, it's not said anything about that person's nationality.
Officials say that Boston PD are "guarding" a wounded man at a Boston hospital as a "possible suspect" - @jimmiklaszewski
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 15, 2013
4:42 PM EST: An AP reporter says families who suffered through the Newtown shooting in December were among those seated in the marathon's VIP section, which was adjacent to one of the blasts.
4:38 PM EST: Tom Putnam, director of the JFK Presidential Library, says today's fire in the library and museum was not caused by a bomb and was confined to a mechanical room.
4:31 PM EST: The Associated Press reports that two more "devices" have been found and are being dismantled.
4:21 PM EST: Boston's JFK Presidential Library caught fire in the aftermath of the explosions. Though it's not certain the two events are related, Boston-based journalist Dave Wedge reports that police have been deployed to assist firefighters.
4:13 PM EST: Boston police just said that there are 23 injured and two dead, which conflicts with Fox's earlier report that three people had been killed.
Update 23 injuries2 dead #tweetfromthebeat via @cherylfiandaca
— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 15, 2013
3:40 PM EST: The Boston Herald quotes an eyewitness who says one of the explosions "looked like it was in a trash can or something."
3:36 PM EST: Fox News is reporting that there are at least three deaths so far.
3:26 PM EST: Cambridge resident Bruce Mendelsohn tweeted this picture, saying, "I was in office right above it. There was a primary and a secondary explosion."
3:23 PM EST: An explosives unit has been dispatched to examine a "possible device" in front of the Mandarin Hotel.