From across the globe 27,000 runners had gathered on a cloudless New England spring day to take part in the world’s oldest annual marathon, but four hours after the start, while some runners were just yards from the finish line, chaos erupted.
It was Patriot’s Day, marking the first battles of the American Revolutionary War, a public holiday and a scene of celebration unfolded as 500,000 spectators including boisterous Red Sox baseball fans, created a party atmosphere.
The final mile of the course has been dedicated to victims of the Newtown school shooting and 26 seconds of silence were held to honour the 26 who died in that massacre as some of their families sat near the finish line.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators then reveled in watching Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa win a dramatic three-way sprint finish down Boylston Street to take the 117th running of America’s most prestigious marathon race in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 22 seconds.
Two hours later, as the festivities continued, fun runners of all ages were yards from the end cheered on by enthusiastic crowds as they passed a line of national flags. Some about to achieve the biggest athletic accomplishment of their lives.
Suddenly, as the clock at the finish showed 4:09:44, a shattering shock wave hit from their left. An elderly man running on the left side of the road was knocked sideways, his left leg and then his right, buckling under him, and sending him sprawling to the ground.
A runner in blue next to him grabbed his left ear as if hit by shrapnel. A woman behind covered her ears as the sound of the blast hit her. Others further away were sent reeling to the right and covered their ears, sprinting towards the finish line to get away.
Stewards and police officers bravely ran towards the grey cloud billowing skywards from the side of the course. “Oh my god,” one shouted. Another screamed: “There’s gonna be people hurt.”
Amid the sound of screaming they climbed over collapsed crash barriers to help injured spectators outside two restaurants, the Atlantic Fish and Forum, where a bloody scene of chaos unfolded. One woman was heard shouting “Where are my children?” amid the carnage.
Witnesses described a second explosion just seconds after the first.
Roupen Bastajian, 35, a state trooper from Rhode Island, had just finished the race when he heard the first blast.
He said: “I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor. We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing.”
Spectator Jeff Curtis who ran to help, and was close to tears, said: “People were banged up, severe lacerations, amputations, they were banged up everywhere.”
A nurse who treated the injured said: “Some of the injuries were very profound. One woman had lost her leg, lots of bleeding. Some children were involved as well.”
Beck Dnagler, a resident who was on the fifth-floor watching the race, said: “The first explosion was further up towards the line, you could only see the plume of smoke and then the immediate scatter, you could smell it, it smelled like a giant firecracker. Once that registered, there was another immediate blast. then there was immediate pandemonium.”
Maya Hauer, 23, who was at a party on the third floor of a building two doors down from where the first bomb exploded on Boylston Street. She said: “There was blood all over Boylston. And shattered glass everywhere.”
Boston Globe reporter Steve Silva said there was “blood everywhere, victims carried out on stretchers. I saw someone lose their leg, people are crying.”
Another witness Dave Weigel said: “I saw people’s legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.”
TV helicopter footage showed blood staining the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.
British runner Abi Griffiths said: “It was while I was getting my bag that I heard it go off. It’s a weird human instinct that you know it’s serious. People looked around, saying what’s that. It was very loud. People didn’t know what do do, they were wandering aimlessly.
“Suddenly it went into a state of chaos. We were being evacuated out of the area. What should be a major celebration of running 26 miles became a frightening scene.
“It felt like it came from inside a shop. Along the street, it’s lined with people, it’s packed, so it’s really the epicentre of crossing the finish line.”
The Boston Marathon dates back to 1897, when it first ran after inspiration from the 1896 Olympics event.
Dan Farnsworth, a runner from Utah, said: “I heard two loud thuds. The first one, I didn’t know what was going on. The second, I thought this isn’t good. Somebody’s leg flew by my head.”
One spectator told the Boston Herald. “I gave my belt to stop the blood.”
Runner Laura McLean from Toronto said she heard two explosions outside the medical tent. She said: “There are people who are really, really bloody. They were pulling them into the medical tent.”
One doctor in the tent, about 150 yards from the explosion said, “We all went running over there and started to bring people in, It was not good. Very bad. Like a war zone. 9/11 immediately came to mind.”
Stewards and police officers bravely ran towards the grey cloud billowing skywards from the side of the course. “Oh my god,” one shouted. Another screamed: “There’s gonna be people hurt.”
Amid the sound of screaming they climbed over collapsed crash barriers to help injured spectators outside two restaurants, the Atlantic Fish and Forum, where a bloody scene of chaos unfolded. One woman was heard shouting “Where are my children?” amid the carnage.
Witnesses described a second explosion just seconds after the first.
Roupen Bastajian, 35, a state trooper from Rhode Island, had just finished the race when he heard the first blast.
He said: “I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor. We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing.”
Spectator Jeff Curtis who ran to help, and was close to tears, said: “People were banged up, severe lacerations, amputations, they were banged up everywhere.”
A nurse who treated the injured said: “Some of the injuries were very profound. One woman had lost her leg, lots of bleeding. Some children were involved as well.”
Beck Dnagler, a resident who was on the fifth-floor watching the race, said: “The first explosion was further up towards the line, you could only see the plume of smoke and then the immediate scatter, you could smell it, it smelled like a giant firecracker. Once that registered, there was another immediate blast. then there was immediate pandemonium.”
Maya Hauer, 23, who was at a party on the third floor of a building two doors down from where the first bomb exploded on Boylston Street. She said: “There was blood all over Boylston. And shattered glass everywhere.”
Boston Globe reporter Steve Silva said there was “blood everywhere, victims carried out on stretchers. I saw someone lose their leg, people are crying.”
Another witness Dave Weigel said: “I saw people’s legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.”
TV helicopter footage showed blood staining the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.
British runner Abi Griffiths said: “It was while I was getting my bag that I heard it go off. It’s a weird human instinct that you know it’s serious. People looked around, saying what’s that. It was very loud. People didn’t know what do do, they were wandering aimlessly.
“Suddenly it went into a state of chaos. We were being evacuated out of the area. What should be a major celebration of running 26 miles became a frightening scene.
“It felt like it came from inside a shop. Along the street, it’s lined with people, it’s packed, so it’s really the epicentre of crossing the finish line.”
The Boston Marathon dates back to 1897, when it first ran after inspiration from the 1896 Olympics event.
Dan Farnsworth, a runner from Utah, said: “I heard two loud thuds. The first one, I didn’t know what was going on. The second, I thought this isn’t good. Somebody’s leg flew by my head.”
One spectator told the Boston Herald. “I gave my belt to stop the blood.”
Runner Laura McLean from Toronto said she heard two explosions outside the medical tent. She said: “There are people who are really, really bloody. They were pulling them into the medical tent.”
One doctor in the tent, about 150 yards from the explosion said, “We all went running over there and started to bring people in, It was not good. Very bad. Like a war zone. 9/11 immediately came to mind.”
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