Three Killed, 141 Injured In Boston Marathon Terror Strike
Boston: At least three people were killed and at least 141 others were injured as two powerful explosions rocked the Boston Marathon finish line in a potential terrorist attack Monday afternoon.
When the smoke cleared after the blasts in Boston's Back Bay section, dozens of victims lay in the street, some unconscious, some grievously injured, including some whose limbs had been torn off by the blast, Boston Globe reported.
The dead included an 8-year-old boy, the newspaper said citing two law enforcement sources. Boston Children's Hospital reported that those treated there included a 9-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, a 12-year-old, and a 2-year-old.
Chaos erupted as near-simultaneous blasts struck about 90 metres apart, the first on Boylston Street near the photo bridge that marks the finish line, CTV News said. The explosion knocked some spectators and runners off their feet.
Paramedics and National Guard members who were working the race rushed to tear down fencing that cordoned off the spectator area from the course in order to reach and treat the injured.
The blasts threw people to the ground. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.
Hospitals reported at least 141 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical condition and 25 in serious condition, CNN said. At least eight of the patients are children.
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, the channel said citing a law enforcement advisory obtained by it.
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.
