BBC News Canada Wrote:At least three people have been killed and more than 100 injured, some seriously, in two explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
TV footage showed bloodied runners and spectators being treated at the scene and the road strewn with debris.
The FBI said that this was a "potential terrorist investigation".
In a TV address, President Barack Obama said "we will find out who did this" and that those responsible would feel the "full weight of justice".
"We don't yet have all the answers," he said. "We still do not know who did this or why."
President Obama said he had called Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to offer federal assistance.
He said the government would increase security around the US "as necessary'' but did not say whether the White House thought the incident was part of a larger plot.
At an initial news conference, Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said authorities had received "no specific intelligence that anything was going to happen".
He urged people to stay indoors and not congregate in large groups.
At a second conference he said the death toll now stood at three. He said that no suspects were in custody.
Governor Patrick, speaking at the same news conference, confirmed reports that more than 100 people had been injured, some gravely.
He said Boston would be "open" on Tuesday but that there would be "a heightened law enforcement presence".
"There will be random checks of backpacks and other parcels. We are also asking that everyone be on a state of heightened vigilance," he said.
Details of the victims have not been revealed, however the Associated Press news agency reported that an eight-year-old boy was among the dead. Quoting a family friend, the report said the boy's mother and sister were also injured as they waited for his father to finish the race.
The city mayor's office has set up an emergency hotline for friends and relatives on +1 617 635 4500.
Vice President Joe Biden - breaking off from a telephone conference call on gun control - said: "Our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injury."
State police officer Roupen Bastajian had just finished the race when 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. At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing."
A doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital said "several amputations" had been performed there.
The first explosion came at about 14:50 local time (18:50 GMT), approximately two hours after the winners crossed the line.
There was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street just before the finish line sending some runners tumbling to the pavement while others were knocked down by those rushing to the scene.
Another loud explosion occurred a few seconds later, and smoke rose from the scene of the blasts.
Bloodied victims were initially rushed to a medical tent set up to care for fatigued runners.
Emergency services descended on the scene, which was quickly locked down.
Stragglers heading for the finish line were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts.
Mike Mitchell of Vancouver, Canada, a runner who had finished the race, said he was looking back at the finish line when he saw a "massive explosion."
Smoke rose 50ft (15m) in the air, he told Reuters news agency, and people began running away and screaming after hearing the noise. "Everybody freaked out," he said.
A fire then broke out at the John F Kennedy presidential library a few miles away from the finish line.
Police said it might have been caused by an incendiary device but it is unclear whether it is related to the bombings.
The annual Boston Marathon this year had a field of about 23,000 runners and was watched by hundreds of thousands of spectators.
It is held on Patriots Day, a Massachusetts state holiday which commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution in 1775.
British police are reviewing security plans for Sunday's London Marathon, the next major international marathon, following events in Boston.
I've seen images from the scene that the media are not broadcasting, and for good reason, its bloody horrifying. There is a man with his leg completely obliterated, I almost felt sick just looking at that.
What is even more horrifying, is that these are people who have survived are marathon runners that have to have their legs amputated to save them. That is pretty grim for them since that is their livelihoods and dreams destroyed due to this "Act of Terror" as Obama is declaring it. I can't argue with him here.
Me and my mates came up with a grim prediction, who is going to be blamed, and what nation? I'll leave that at that since that's a very touchy subject here.
Initial thoughts? Never, ever trust anything American corporate news reports. Ever. Each channel is in competition to report something 1st & the facts take a backseat until the facts start to really come in. We Americans exist in an environment where infotainment is the norm & for those that pay attention & watch the story change from minute to minute...it kinda wants to make us vomit. Don't get me wrong...Boston today was a horrible thing to happen, but as far at the networks are concerned, ratings are of utmost priority & they count on viewer voyeurism to keep tuned in for the benefit of the network sponsors.
"Facts" are manageable as they change.
Best rule of thumb is to not expect any reported 'facts' as actual fact for the 1st 24 hours or so
Yeah the scaremongering and report competitions is just wrong. Give us accurate reports, fair enough if the police and doctors are not allowed to divulge some information, that's the law.
I'd like to think the BBC is 'above' it in the loosest way I can put it, but it's still part of it sadly, media will be media.
(04-16-2013, 05:23 AM)Marburg Wrote: Initial thoughts? Never, ever trust anything American corporate news reports. Ever. Each channel is in competition to report something 1st & the facts take a backseat until the facts start to really come in.
It would be remiss to suggest that America is the only country where this is a problem. Moreover, all news sources should be treated with a certain level of skepticism, particularly in the wake of an event as grave and tragic as this.
Three, four, maybe five days from now we will have a clearer idea of what has happened. That's when we should start discussing this. Right now, it's better to defer commenting on it, go about our lives, and hope that the death toll does not rise any further.
remember kids, flag any facebook post that tells you 1 like = 1 prayer. those are evil evil people exploiting other's suffering for likes.
(04-16-2013, 05:23 AM)Marburg Wrote: Initial thoughts? Never, ever trust anything American corporate news reports. Ever. Each channel is in competition to report something 1st & the facts take a backseat until the facts start to really come in. We Americans exist in an environment where infotainment is the norm & for those that pay attention & watch the story change from minute to minute...it kinda wants to make us vomit. Don't get me wrong...Boston today was a horrible thing to happen, but as far at the networks are concerned, ratings are of utmost priority & they count on viewer voyeurism to keep tuned in for the benefit of the network sponsors.
"Facts" are manageable as they change.
Best rule of thumb is to not expect any reported 'facts' as actual fact for the 1st 24 hours or so
Ooh, I just read the CNN report (was first to come up on google). And holy s*** after skim reading the BBC one I feel like da two are on entirely different incidents!
No atmosphere? GTFO.
The propeller is the greatest invention of all time.
Mh. My own thoughts - I'm surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner. An improvised fragmentation grenade distributing shrapnel across a mass-gathering. There is no way you can secure the entire route of an event as this. And there are many variants - an improvised mortar lobbing a projectile into a football (or soccer) stadium, or religious gathering (the Hajj comes to mind if you're out to incite a holy war). A suitcase bomb left in a shopping mall - covered by some products as a statement against capitalism. A car bomb on a passenger ferry, set to go off on unloading. There's just so may ways for people to inflict damage wherever others gather.
I'm more worried about attacks against weak or insecure infrastructure. Bringing down a few high-voltage power transmission lines (which isn't that hard if you have a torch and a few cutter charges) could trigger a regional or even nationwide blackout. The recent bouts of DDOSsing (not the minor one against our own server, but the massive ones against Spamhaus and several major banks) show the major problems with the Internet's core protocols not having been designed with security in mind. Same issues with rail and aircraft control systems - which if subverted can trigger a major disaster.
And for those among us who will whine about not bringing people on ideas: If one moderately bored european man can think of this, what do you think an unscrupulous individual motivated by hate will come up with?
Wide awake in a world that sleeps, enduring thoughts, enduring scenes. The knowledge of what is yet to come.
From a time when all seems lost, from a dead man to a world, without restraint, unafraid and free.
Mostly retired Discovery member. May still visit from time to time.
This picture seemed to be making the rounds as well.
And just for the record, 50 people dead, and 300 injured. But nobody will make a thread about it, because they're not the same colour, religion and in the country everyone associated with terrorism.
Disclaimer: All deaths are terrible. This post in no way, shape or form indicates that the Boston bombing is an incident unworthy of sympathy.
(04-16-2013, 12:59 PM)Mister_X Wrote: I blame the Muslims B-)
EDIT: Since I myself am one this doesn't count as a racial insult right?
This is just childish . (or maybe was just irony) .
Maybe was a muslam , maybe not . The fact remains that only a coward would do such think . War is something , you can kill soldiers in a war as much as you like , but acting against civilians is just pitiful .
This could be the next reason for attacking Iran or Siria , or N.Korea , depending what suits USA best .
10 years from now we will find that in fact was an US citizen , with menthal disorders , rather than muslams (the reason for begining a new war that would increase some corporatives profits).
I'm just sad that this kind of actions are even taking place , no mather that the victims are muslims or europeans or americans .
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