Breaking News: Twin Explosions at Boston Marathon Kill at Least 2, Injure Many

This image was taken by Twitter user Boston_to_a_T and shows the moment of the explosion from a distance.

At 2:50 p.m. today, the cheering crowds at the finish line for the world-famous Boston Marathon were hit by twin explosions that killed at least two people and have injured an unknown number of others. As of press time, counts of the injured range as low as 23 and as high as 100.

The explosions have been labelled a terrorist attack by the FBI and President Obama has issued a statement declaring “We still do not know who did this or why. But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice.”

The official Boston police statement said the explosions were 50-100 yards apart, that the victims have all been sent to area hospitals for treatment, and that a third explosion that occurred at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library was also being investigated in case it was related. (In a later update, police said the incident at the library was a fire, not an explosion, and didn’t appear to be directly related to the explosions.) The statement also warned Boston residents to stay indoors for their safety.

The Boston mayor’s office has set up a hotline for friends and relatives to find out if their loved ones have been affected by the attacks: (617) 635-4500.

The Boston area has been temporarily declared a no-fly zone, and bomb squads with bomb-sniffing dogs are searching for any additional unexploded bombs in the area. At the time of the explosion, there were already National Guard deployed along the route to help local police with security along the famous marathon route.

Josh Cox, one of the runners, described the scene for BBC News: “There were bodies, people laying on the ground. Some runners who had just finished who had just gotten by it were crying, understandably. It’s tragic, absolutely tragic. It was a massive boom. When the first explosion went, the whole ground shook. I didn’t think bomb, you think there was a transformer, or generator – I took a picture. Right as I took the picture, the next one went off. Once the second one came, everyone was freaking out. Everyone was clearing the area.”

The attack has sent British police looking into their own security for the upcoming London Marathon. The event in London will not be cancelled, but the security arrangements are currently under review.

Information from BBC News, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.