At least three people died and more than 100 were injured Monday, in twin blasts that ripped through the crowd near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The two explosions occurred in quick succession, 50 to 100 yards apart. After this incident the Marathon erupted into a pandemonium of blood, screams, smoke and panic.
A third incident at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library was initially described as a third explosion. The Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said it may have been only a fire. No injuries were reported, but nearby universities were being evacuated.
Organizers have stopped the race and locked down the marathon headquarters. The Federal Aviation Administration announced a temporary flight restriction over Boston.
Boston Police said FBI has taken over investigation into the Marathon explosion. Several megacities in the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, have
been put on alert after the two explosions.
The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriot's Day, the third Monday of April, since 1897. The event, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends in Boston's Copley Square, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000
participants every year.
Reacting strongly to the incident that rocked Boston, US President Barack Obama has affirmed that his administration will find out the perpetrators and hold them accountable for the act. The President, however, sought to refrain from jumping to any conclusion about the nature of the explosions. He said it is not known who did this and why.