Today is Marathon Monday in Boston. The Boston Marathon is one of the most significant events in Boston each year.
All news channels broke into regular programming today, April 15 around 3:00 p.m. to report that two blasts happened at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Since then the marathon headquarters have been locked down. A Boston Marathon spokesman told reporters that no one would be allowed in or out of the building. The finish line has been considered a crime scene for the time being.
Emergency personnel was sent to the scene around 2:50 p.m. to tend to those injured who were mostly spectators. Many people were gathered around the finish line for the 117th running of the annual race that ironically was in honor of the Newtown shooting that took place in Connecticut last December. There was a 26-mile route and 26 stars on flag for the 26 victims of those killed in Newtown.
The entire area near the finish line was evacuated. There were 26,839 runners from 96 countries and about 5,000 spectators.
Victims were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and other nearby hospitals.
Boston police say 176 were injured, 17 critical, and three are dead as a result of the blasts. Injuries include the loss of limbs and children with severe burns.
All 2,100 Boston police officers were called to the scene.
Other major cities have been put on alert because of this explosion.
President Obama addressed the nation at 6:10 p.m. He was careful not to call this an act of terrorism because those details were not known at the time.
