CNN) -- Two bombs struck near the finish line of the
Boston Marathon on Monday, turning a celebration into a bloody scene of
destruction.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Monday night that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.
One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, according to a state law enforcement source.
Hospitals reported at
least 141 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical
condition and 25 in serious condition. At least eight of the patients
are children.
At least 10 people injured had limbs amputated, according to a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation.
Terror attack disrupts Boston Marathon
Watch Boston Marathon explosions
Obama: We will get to the bottom of this
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Doctors are "pulling ball
bearings out of people in the emergency room," the expert said,
suggesting the bombs were designed to propel shrapnel.
Several of the patients
treated at Massachusetts General Hospital suffered injuries to lower
limbs that will require "serial operations" in the coming days, trauma
surgeon Peter Fagenholz said Monday night.
In Washington, President
Barack Obama vowed, "Any responsible individuals, any responsible
groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
Boston "is a tough and resilient town," he said, adding that Americans will stand by Bostonians "every single step of the way."
'Like a huge cannon'
The terrorist attack,
near the marathon's finish line, triggered widespread screaming and
chaos, shattered windows and barricades and sent smoke billowing into
the air at Copley Square.
The blasts were about 50
to 100 yards apart, officials said, on a stretch of the marathon course
lined with spectators cheering runners through the final yards of a
26-mile, 385-yard endurance feat.
"It felt like a huge cannon," a witness told CNN about one of the blasts.
Allan Panter, a doctor
who was near the finish line waiting for his wife to finish the race,
told CNN he was standing about 20 to 25 feet from the first blast. He
said he treated victims on the street after the explosion.
"I saw at least six to
seven people down next to me," he said. "They protected me from the
blast. One lady expired. One gentleman lost both his (lower) limbs. Most
of the injuries were lower extremities."
Bill Iffrig, 78 and a
veteran marathoner, was nearing the finish when "the shock waves just
hit my whole body and my legs just started jittering around." Iffrig,
who can be seen in video of the explosion wearing an orange tank top,
was helped to his feet by an event volunteer and had just a scratch from
his fall, he told CNN.
Federal authorities are
classifying the bombings as a terrorist attack, but it's not clear
whether the origin was domestic or foreign, a federal law enforcement
official with knowledge of the investigation said.
A federal law
enforcement official told CNN that both bombs were small, and initial
tests showed no C-4 or other high-grade explosive material, suggesting
that the packages used in the attack were crude explosive devices.
Another explosive device found
Authorities in Boston
found at least one other explosive device that they were dismantling,
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said.
Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, meanwhile, said two more were found.
One unexploded device
was found at a hotel on Boylston Street near the bomb site and another
unexploded device was found at an undisclosed location, Keating, a
Democrat and member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. He
called the bombing a "sophisticated, coordinated, planned attack."
It was unclear who may
have planted the marathon bombs. There were no credible threats before
the race, a state government official said.
There is no suspect in custody, but many people are being questioned, Davis said.
Investigators warned
police to be on the lookout for a "darker-skinned or black male" with a
possible foreign accent in connection with the attack, according to a
law enforcement advisory obtained by CNN. The man was seen with a black
backpack and sweatshirt and was trying to get into a restricted area
about five minutes before the first explosion, the lookout notice
states.
Also, a Saudi national
with a leg wound was under guard at a Boston hospital in connection with
the bombings, but investigators cannot say he is involved at this time
and he is not in custody, a law enforcement official said Monday
evening.
In addition to
scrutinizing images of surveillance cameras in the area, the FBI likely
was issuing subpoenas for records from cell towers in the area to
isolate and trace calls from around Copley Square at the time of the
blasts, according to a former federal law enforcement official who now
works in the intelligence community.
The unexploded devices
that were recovered could provide a treasure trove of information such
as fingerprints and indications of the bomb maker's design, and from the
bombs that did explode, investigators would be looking for fragments
and anything indicating the "signature" of the bomb makers, the official
told CNN.
As authorities searched
the scene, numerous suspicious packages were found, possibly because
people fled the area, leaving items behind. Investigators were checking
them.
All off-duty Boston police were called in.
The Marriott hotel at Copley Place was evacuated as a precaution.
The Lenox Hotel was also evacuated as a precaution, the Boston Globe reported.
'Horrific day'
Crowds were in the area watching the runners take part in the world's oldest annual marathon.
It was also Patriot's Day, commemorating the opening battle of the Revolutionary War.
Within seconds, the festive occasion turned into devastation.
"This is a horrific day in Boston," Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said in a statement.
"My thoughts and prayers
are with those who have been injured. I have been in touch with the
president, Mayor (Thomas) Menino and our public safety leaders. Our
focus is on making sure that the area around Copley Square is safe and
secured. I am asking everyone to stay away from Copley Square and let
the first responders do their jobs."
U.S. Attorney General
Eric Holder spoke with FBI Director Robert Mueller and U.S. Attorney
Carmen Ortiz, a Justice Department official said.
Holder has directed the
full resources of the Justice Department to be deployed to ensure the
matter is fully investigated, the official said.
The Federal Aviation Administration placed a flight restriction over the site of the blasts.
Other cities, including
New York and Washington, tightened security as a result. Following
standard protocol, the White House cleared out an area in front of the
West Wing.
Mike Baingon, who works
at the Atlantic Fish Company in Boston, said an explosion took place in
front of the restaurant and that he was right by the front door at the
time.
The explosions occurred
at about 2:45 p.m., more than two hours after the first of the race's
nearly 27,000 runners had crossed the finish line, CNN Producer Matt
Frucci reported.
The race was halted as was subway service into the area.
Troops from the
Massachusetts National Guard, already at the site as part of the
marathon's security and crowd-management plan, were assisting police as
well.
