Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Explosions at Boston Marathon

Tags:

photo Boston_zps79de2ad9.jpg

Live coverage on Bloomberg TV.

April 16 Update:  

Bloomberg reports that FBI investigators are asking residents and spectators for photos and videos they may have from the event.  176 people were injured (17 in critical condition), and 3 killed in the explosions yesterday.  Previous reports that the police had found unexploded bombs are incorrect according to Governor Patrick.  Federal & local authorities searched an apartment in Revere, but have not disclosed any further information.  Federal officials are treating this as a terrorist attack since it involved multiple explosive devices, but a connection has not yet been made to any specific group.  

I imagine that there are likely blood shortages in the area, given the number of injuries.  If you are in the region, and would like to donate blood to help out, the Red Cross suggests scheduling an appointment (mine is for Thursday).

/End Update

Explosions at the Boston Marathon, near the finish line.  Reports of injuries; 4 people being treated at Mass General.  Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has suspended service.

According to MSNBC, runners who had not yet completed the race were being stopped and directed elsewhere.  

Update: 3:49 EDT – Bloomberg TV says Boston Globe is reporting that secondary devices are still being found.

Update: 4:03 EDT – Bloomberg TV says NY Post is reporting 12 people killed.  No official confirmation.

Update: 4:05 EDT – Bloomberg TV says Twitter update from Boston PD says 22 hurt, 2 killed.

Update: 4:53 EDT – Boston Police Press Conference – there was also a third explosion at JFK Library about a half hour ago, so they consider the situation to be ongoing and ask residents to stay at home.  JFK Library was an unrelated fire.  h/t JanF

Update (h/t Denise):

Don’t panic if you can’t call someone who is in Boston – all cell phone service has been shut down in downtown Boston

tips number – 800 494-8477

number to find loved ones

617 635-4500

Update: 5:14 EDT:  Harvard has cancelled classes tonight.

Update (h/t Nurse Kelley): Google Person Finder

Boston Mayor is supposed to be giving a press conference soon; President Obama will be speaking around 6:10.

FAA has instituted a no-fly zone over the Boston area.  Bloomberg TV had a phone interview with someone who participated in the marathon, and he said it was hard to get out of the area as mass transit has been halted, there are no taxis, and no cell service (it was shut down to prevent any chance of remote detonations).  Edit: Bloomberg is now reporting that the cell network may have just been overwhelmed and not shut down.

Edit:  President Obama is speaking.  Has directed the “full resources of the federal government” to help state/local authorities.  Spoken to FBI Director & Homeland Secretary Napolitano, and they are mobilizing.  “Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.”  “We are still in the investigation stage at this point.  I want to reiterate that we will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable.”   He did not take any questions following his statements.  


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 156 Comments

156 comments

  7. DeniseVelez

    Don’t panic if you can’t call someone who is in Boston – all cell phone service has been shut down in downtown Boston

    tips number – 800 494-8477

    number to find loved ones

    617 635-4500

  16. Avilyn

    I won’t be able to post updates for a while.  If any important news comes in, an admin is free to update the diary with the information; or if it gets posted in the comments I’ll update when I get back to a PC.

  18. Melanie in IA

    “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.” – Mister Rogers

  19. jlms qkw

    and get my act together.

    i was in better shape before i heard the age of the youngest victim who is dead.  

    and right away, it seemed to me the bombs were timed for maximum impact.  the fastest runners finish just after 2 hours.  the course closes at the 6-hour mark.  the bell curve for four hours, in a total guess, seems like a pretty busy time.  

    tonight we light big candles.  

  21. HappyinVT

    because he was running away from the explosion.

    NOT SHIT SHERLOCK!  So were thousands of other nationalities.

  23. Shaun Appleby

    There should be some undamaged forensic evidence on the devices fabricated for this attack:


    Counterterrorism officials found what they believe to be five additional, undetonated explosive devices around the Boston area, according to two people briefed on the rapidly moving investigation.

    The devices-which are in addition to the two that exploded near the finish line of the marathon-were discovered over the course of a frantic inspection of suspicious packages, many of them abandoned as pedestrians, runners, and others scrambled away from crowded public streets. Each had been rendered inoperative or was in the process of being rendered inoperative, the officials said.

    But the officials also sounded a note of caution, saying they are moving quickly and each device they believe is a bomb hasn’t been fully dissected or analyzed.

    Jennifer Levitz, Kevin Helliker and Sara Germano – Deadly Blasts Rock Boston WSJ 15 Apr 13

    Assuming this is an accurate report nothing makes a successful investigation and prosecution more likely than the leads provided by an unexploded device.

  24. anotherdemocrat

    today that the Boston Red Cross website crashed, and they’ve asked people to make appointments to donate

    And she was just reading posts from people wanting to help stranded runners that just made me cry. People are just fantastic.

  25. HappyinVT

    in one of the first videos to surface was unharmed and finished the race.  78 year old guy from Washington state who was 12-15 feet from finish.  I’d have finished, too.

  26. fogiv

    A Kansas surgeon had finished the race moments before he ran to help the wounded.

    The first blast came about 30 seconds after Dr. Chris Rupe, of Salina, Kan., crossed the finish line. At first, he thought the sound came from a building or grandstand collapsing. He hurried to see if he could help and spent about an hour in the medical tent treating the wounded.

    After that, most had been taken to hospitals.

    “I’d just run 26 miles. I was starting to get tired,” Rupe told The Salina Journal. “There were a lot of great people who were there. There are a lot of good people in the world.”

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/…

  28. Chris Blask

    who kept yelling about “false flag” and accusing the government of the crime.

    I really should want to never hear about him again. Just morbid curiosity, I guess.

  30. JanF

    Boston Herald minces no words: Editorial: Justice demands, get the bastards

    … on that day – Marathon Day, Patriots Day – this town was violated by those who clearly have no respect for life, particularly for the American way of life. […]

    We will not live in fear. We will demand that the cowardly bastards who did this be brought to justice. Nothing else will do.

    ~

    E.J. Dionne Jr. Patriots’ Day defiled


    It’s a holiday celebrated only in Massachusetts and Maine, but it’s my favorite patriotic holiday, for reasons both historical and personal.[…]

    At this point, we have no idea who did this. So we don’t know how the significance of this day factored into the decision to commit an act of terror. But it is a horrible defilement of a date treasured by the whole nation, and especially by those of us who have known its joys very personally.

  34. Avilyn

    providing links and updates in the comments.  R/L stuff kept me away from the computer last night and the phone is not ideal for making updates.

    I’ve added a couple of paragraphs at the top with additional information that we have, as well as a link to the Red Cross donation scheduling site, if people want to help out that way.

  35. creamer

    Regardless of who did this or why they did this. How bent do you have to be to do this. I always have a hard time wrapping my head around this. The ability to be cruel and merciless. Be it blowing up buildings, shooting hellfire missiles or hanging people from trees. We are one twisted animal.

Comments are closed.