10 things we know (almost for certain) about the bombings in Boston
Aaron Hutchins on the latest news from Boston
Brian Julian, of Schoolcraft, Mich., pins a memorial running bib to his jacket as he joins hundreds of people that ran in memory of the people that lost their lives in the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Tuesday, April 16, 2013, in Kalamazoo, Mich. (AP Photo/Kalamazoo Gazette-MLive Media Group, Erik Holladay) ALL LOCAL TV OUT; LOCAL TV INTERNET OUT
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Updates on Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings are constant— stories of lives and limbs lost, as well of those doing all they could to help others at the scene. Here are 10 things we know about the bombings so far.
1. Three people died in the blast.
Martin Richard was an eight-year old from the Dorchester neighbourhood in Boston, Massachusetts. He was standing at the finish line with his mom, dad, brother and sister at the time of the explosion.
Ever since she was a little girl, Krystal Campbell would go to the finish line at the Marathon. The 29-year-old restaurant manager lived in Arlington, Massachusetts—a town approximately 10km northwest of Boston—and was at the finish this year to cheer on a friend who was running in the race.
Earlier today a third victim killed in the bombings was identified in media reports as Lu Lingzi, a Boston University graduate student originally from the northeast city of Shenyang.
2. Another 176 people were injured, including 14 who lost limbs.
3. There were two blasts occurring 12 seconds apart at 2:50 p.m.—four hours into the marathon and well after many of the fastest runners had finished the race.
4. The two bombs were placed about 100m apart near the finish line. The Boston Globe reports that investigators believe the makeshift bombs consisted of nails, ball bearings and a pressure cooker, which were placed inside two black duffel bags. A circuit board was also recovered, which is believed to have acted as the detonator.
5. Pieces of the bombs have been sent for testing the FBI laboratories in Quantico, Virginia, according to the Washington Post.
6. Officials have no suspects in custody as of yet, according to the New York Times.
Updated Wednesday at 3 p.m.: Conflicting reports Wednesday afternoon suggested a suspect was in custody. Most agencies have since backed away from that assertion. We may know more at 5 p.m. — the time of the next scheduled news conference.
7. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
8. President Barack Obama will be in Boston on Thursday for an interfaith service.
9. Twitter has been both a blessing and a curse. While many were able to reach out to friends and family via social media to let them know they were safe, several of the stories that went viral were completely fabricated.
10. The bombings have not put fear into runners around the world. The UK sports minister, Hugh Robertson, says the city of London ‘won’t be cowered‘ and the London Marathon will go on. Meanwhile in Vancouver, the 10-kilometre Sun Run has seen an increase in registration in the wake of the bombing.
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