Two deadly bombs that exploded near the finish line of the 117 Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, killed three and injured more than a hundred people. Nearby shops were also damaged due to the impact of the explosion.
According to the New York Times, the explosion occurred at the intersection of Boylston and Exerter Street. The blast was so powerful that it shattered glass windows of the nearby shops and also damaged a window on the third floor of the Central Library on Copley Square.
The first bomb exploded on the north side of Boylston Street, near the Boston Public Library around 2.50 pm, while the second one erupted thirteen seconds later, just 550 feet away. Two major hotels - The Lenox and The Mandarin were evacuated on account of suspicious packages and for safety reasons.
"The first one went off, I thought it was a big celebratory thing, and I just kept going," Jarrett Sylvester, a marathon runner said to NDTV, also adding that it sounded like a cannon blast.
"And then the second one went off, and I saw debris fly in the air. And I realized it was a bomb at that point. And I just took off and ran in the complete opposite direction," he exclaimed.
At around the same time that the marathon blasts occurred, another bomb went off in the JFK Library, which is just five miles from the twin blast location. It was first reported to be a fire but later turned out to be a third explosion. The fire/explosion damaged the exterior of the building and also blew away the windows. However, none of the collections were damaged. The building was evacuated and the bomb squad conducted a thorough sweep. Nothing else was found, reports Boston.com.
Safety has been upped in major cities like New York and Washington after the blast. A temporary flight restriction was also issued at the Boston Airport, which was listed off on Monday evening.
Responding to the news of the blast, President Obama said in a televised speech:
"We're continuing to monitor and respond to the situation as it unfolds. And I've directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect our people, increase security around the United States as necessary, and investigate what happened.
The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight. And Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss."
