(The Verge) – Reports are coming in that a possible attack has been initiated at the finish line at the Boston Marathon this afternoon. Explosions on both sides of the street affected runners and spectators, and reporters were quick on the scene.
Blood stained the sidewalks of the finish line and wounds were gruesome as television crews rushed to the scene to film what was going on. An initial Fox News affiliate reporter approached the scene, and looked away in horror as it appeared at least three people were brutally murdered.
Shepherd Smith has also just reported that the devices may have been rigged with shotgun pellets or ball bearings, a definitive sign that it may have been a terrorist attack. The city continues to be in pandemonium and more telling footage has entered news-desks.
The president has been notified of the catastrophe and police crews are rapidly trying to clear the scene. Witnesses reported that limbs were flying amidst the explosion and mothers were screaming for their children. Law enforcement officials were quick to aid those down on the ground, but as cameras zoomed in, it was clear that the all-telling red color of blood riddled the area’s landscape.
A British affiliate also provided video footage of the event, and a fireball could be seen coming out of a storefront or a garbage can. In another video snippet, one older runner literally fell to the ground with the wave of air felt from the explosion.
This brought news officials eerily back to the hours of reporting after the 9/11 flights, and they’re quick to comfort those watching, by noting extra security has been added at bridges, tunnels, street-sides and in other prominent cities across the nation.
From the White House, an official has said: “The administration is in contact with state and local authorities. He’s directed assistance for whatever is necessary…”
“After 9/11, we found out we had to remember the things that are important to us, to remember our families, etc. We held each others hands and…rose together as a nation,” said Shepherd Smith trying to put context to the breaking news.
But even as he does so amidst live footage, another statement has come in from an ER doctor at a nearby hospital: 10 patients with amputations and blown off limbs have entered the hospital, and operating tables are on hold. More patients are in route, as well.
—More news to follow as details are discerned—
