[Spartacus]

At least two people have died and dozens are believed to have been wounded when two huge explosions detonated near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon, and a third device exploded at the JFK Presidential Library nearby.

Boston police said two had died in the bomb blasts and various reports said up to 60 people had been wounded. Witnesses said that some of the injured had lost limbs. Victims with horrific injuries were carried
to the medical tent that was set up for runners; others were pushed in wheelchairs on hand if competitors collapsed.

"They just started bringing people in in with no limbs," said Tim Davey, of Virginia. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children's eyes shielded from the gruesome scene.

Pools of blood stained the pavements as the two blasts ripped through the area within about 30 seconds each other near the city’s central Copley Square. They caused panic and terror in the crowds massed to watch one of the world’s biggest marathons.

Spectators, runners and race organisers fled in tears after they were told to evacuate the area immediately amid fears of further blasts. One woman was heard shouting: “Where are my children?"

Police deployed bomb squad teams and bomb-sniffing dogs as they searched for explosive devices. Some witnesses said that the first explosion seemed to come from a building. An apparent third explosion also took place at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, some three miles from the finish line of the marathon. No one was believed to have been injured in that blast, which police later said was "fire-related". The scale of the double explosion, the popularity of the event and the symbolism of the date – Patriot’s Day, a festive New England public holiday – prompted immediate fears of a terrorism attack.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Boston Marathon termed the blasts as "bombs". Two highranking law enforcement officials told Reuters the blasts had been caused by bombs. Law enforcement officials told the NBC network that they believed that at least one blast was the result of a home-made bomb. Some witnesses described ball-bearing injuries, a further indicator that a bomb was responsible.

A senior US intelligence official said two more explosive devices have been found near the scene. The official said the new devices were being dismantled, at least one with a water cannon. Paul Browne, New York police deputy commissioner, said that the department was deploying counter-terrorism vehicles around landmarks in Manhattan, including hotels and tunnels, in response to the explosions.

Barack Obama, the president, was notified of the explosions by his national security staff. Vice President Joe Biden was in a conference call as the news broke and said to reporters: "Apparently there has been a bombing. I don’t know any of the details of what caused it, who did it. I don't think it exists yet. But our prayers are with those people in Boston who suffered injury."

Shortly after the explosions, Secret Service shut down Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House, cordoning off the area with yellow police tape. Several Secret Service patrol cars also blocked off the entry points to the road.

The White House was not on lockdown and tourists and other onlookers were still able to be in the park across the street from the executive mansion. The race winners had finished more than an hour earlier, but runners were still streaming across the finishing line in Boston at the time of the explosions.

One photograph posted to Twitter appeared to show the moment of the explosion, with runners still racing towards it. Dramatic video footage showed an explosion along the side of the route, the orange of the blast
followed by smoke billowing upwards. One runner keeled over, others dashed across the road, covering their heads in their hands.

"I was expecting my husband any minute. I don't know what this building is ... it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere,” said Cherie Falgoust whose husband was running in the race. “Something hit my head. I don't know what it was. I just ducked."

Laura McLean, a competitor, said she heard two explosions. "There are people who are really,
really bloody," she said.

Roupen Bastajian, a 35-year-old state police officer from neighboring Rhode Island, had just finished the race when they put the heat blanket wrap on him and he heard the blasts.

"I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor,"he said. "We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. ... At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing."

A cook from a restaurant in the area said he used his apron to try and bandage a woman who lost a leg. A spectator said that a severed leg flew past his face. At least 10 victims had limbs blown off or required amputations, a doctor at Massachusetts General hospital told Fox News.

A list of competitors on the Boston Marathon website showed hundreds of British runners were expected to line up for the race.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident and we are trying to gather information."
The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriots Day, the third Monday of April, since 1897. The event, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends Boston’s Copley Square, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year.

It is one of the world’s most prestigious marathons, with stringent entry requirements for competitors.
In Britain, police said they were reviewing security for the London marathon, scheduled to be run on Sunday.
Thousands of people compete in the London Marathon every year, thronging the city’s streets. London is also considered a top target for international terrorists.

The London race’s chief executive, Nick Bitel, expressed shock and sadness about the situation in Boston, saying “it is a very sad day for athletics and for our friends in marathon running.”

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