Explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon

[murdoc]

http://deadspin.com/explosions-reported-at-the-boston-marathon-473008941

Not good, not good at all.

[Trippy]

Live cam at the finish line, though it looks like almost all the injured have been removed from the scene:

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013-boston-marathon-finish-line/

[WayAbvPar]

Jesus that doesn't look good.

[Trippy]

It sounds pretty grim for those closest to the blasts.

[Merusk]

People are already starting to speculate it was natural gas, but based on the deadspin pictures I'd say, no.  Though I'm not sure how close to the actual site those pictures with all the blood were taken.

[Numtini]

Channel 5 has pictures of one of the two actual explosions, it's not huge. I mean, it's bad, but it's more like a backpack or something, not a car.

It seems just a little unlikely to be a gas explosion. The fireball on the picture I'm looking at seems to be outside the building, not inside.

Being local this is a huge event. Is it really that well followed elsewhere?

[bhodi]

No one knows yet, except that there were reportedly two explosions, possibly in trash cans, police are surrounding other likely spots including a report of bomb-squad activty at Mandarin hotel. It's just completely unconfirmed reports and some really graphic pictures of people missing limbs pulled from the finish line live webcam.

[K9]

Fox are saying three dead at the moment. This is really sad.

[K9]

NY Post has the tally up to 12 dead now apparently.

[luckton]

Starting the pool for how quickly Drudge blames this on either Muslim terrorists or a reason to glass N. Korea...

[Merusk]

Channel 5 has pictures of one of the two actual explosions, it's not huge. I mean, it's bad, but it's more like a backpack or something, not a car.

It seems just a little unlikely to be a gas explosion. The fireball on the picture I'm looking at seems to be outside the building, not inside.

Being local this is a huge event. Is it really that well followed elsewhere?

My thoughts exactly on the explosion size, location, etc.  Also, if it were a gas line a facade would be opened-up or there'd be a crater in the ground we'd have shots of. We don't.

As far as following, it's internationally-renowned.  It's always been well-covered here in Ohio. I remember coverage from High School right up through last year, including feeds on TV for a few hours the day of the race.

Starting the pool for how quickly Drudge blames this on either Muslim terrorists or a reason to glass N. Korea...

It's not Drudge, but several posters in the Reddit thread already made the N. Korea connection.

[bhodi]

There's video being shown on the news. Obviously, the entire thing was televised. Here's one not especially graphic camera shot made into a gif.

http://i.imgur.com/UbUlIp5.gif

[Ingmar]

Nobody has apparently claimed responsibility yet, I find that a little weird.

[K9]

Some source seem to say that the explosion came from a dustbin.

[Fabricated]

I thought anything really designed to hurt people (loaded pipebombs, anything that relies on fragmentation) usually doesn't produce a fireball?

Whatever, no sense in it. We'll have to wait and be vaguely terrified and depressed until they determine what the cause was. Likely/hopefully just some lone nut dropping homemade bombs in trashcans/postal drops.

[Ingmar]

In Boston on Tax Day does sort of make me lean towards the (hopefully) lone whacko theory.

[schild]

I don't like any sort of violence on American soil whether accidental or otherwise because Homeland Security and the TSA always have a field day with it, no matter what the source. So this makes me sad.

[SurfD]

Newyork Post is confirming it was an explosive device, and reporting 12 dead, up to twice as many injured.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/two_explosions_at_boston_marathon_iMR0LCkcwASg0RQfVsH1yI?utm_source=SFnewyorkpost&utm_medium=SFnewyorkpost

Also, a 3rd device was discovered, which is believed to have been (as of this time) detonated by Police in a controlled explosion for removal purposes.

[Hammond]

Freaking Post they are the only ones saying that number, the police are saying 2 dead.

http://live.boston.com/Event/Live_blog_Explosion_in_Copley_Square

[schild]

Smoke filled the previously crystal-clear sky and the sounds of sirens rang for blocks.

American Media is a pack of sensationalist idiots.

[SurfD]

Freaking Post they are the only ones saying that number, the police are saying 2 dead.

http://live.boston.com/Event/Live_blog_Explosion_in_Copley_Square

Yeah, I am figuring that the 12 figure is hopefully someone fatfingering a 2 and rushing it to the digital presses before it was thoroughly vetted by an editor.

[DraconianOne]

Terrible news.   

[Fabricated]

Incidentally everyone who works at the NYPost should have their fingers broken and never be allowed near a computer, typewriter, or TV camera ever again. They are a shitty newspaper staffed by terrible people.

[K9]

AP is reporting two more devices found, the police are dismantling them at the moment apparently.

Also, it's Kim Il Sung's 101st birthday today

 

[Fabricated]

It's also tax day.

[Fabricated]

Also don't read Drudge Report thanks.

[Hammond]

I read Drudge Report so I know who is falsely reporting ;)

[murdoc]

Twitter is both amazing and facepalmingly stupid when stuff like this happens. I first read it there, a decent amount of time before major news outlets picked it up - but now the overreaction and misinformation is ridiculously over the top.

[K9]

AP and Reuters seem to be keeping it pretty factual on twitter, they're great feeds to follow. Zerohedge is also good.

[schild]

Twitter has hurt media more than media has hurt media. But it's a pretty cyclical trash spin.

[Tale]

At the same time: 42 killed and 257 wounded after 19 car and 17 roadside bombs in Iraq. People are speculating on North Korean involvement in the Boston incident, but this could be another line of investigation.

My thoughts are with victims of senseless bombings everywhere. On the weekend I was cheering a friend who ran his first marathon, so this Boston thing is shocking.

[Hoax]

Smart money is on normal homegrown white guy crazy. I have literally no idea how anyone could draw a connection between this and North Korea that takes a special kind of retard.

[Shannow]

NYpost still saying 12 dead and now a Saudi national has been identified as being involved.

Fuck the NY Post.

[Chimpy]

Smart money is on normal homegrown white guy crazy. I have literally no idea how anyone could draw a connection between this and North Korea that takes a special kind of retard.

This. Tax day in Boston with a visible public event.

[MahrinSkel]

Those explosions look like something on the order of a pipe bomb, and not a very well-designed one (all concussion, not much shrapnel).  Could be a stick of dynamite or chunk of C-4, but somebody with access and skills for that could have made something considerably deadlier.

--Dave

EDIT: Taking that back, looking more carefully (and finding some better photos of the aftermath) I'd say exactly the opposite, those were very well-built, lots of shrapnel causing severe injuries across a wide area on at least one of the bombs.