Boston Marathon explosions

Boston Marathon explosions, Two people have been killed and at least 23 injured after two explosions ripped through the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

TV footage showed streets littered with debris and blood, with paramedics carrying stretchers.

Dozens of bloodied people have been taken from the scene on stretchers and in wheelchairs.

Boston Police confirmed two people had died and 23 were injured in "simultaneous explosions".

Police also said there had been another explosion at the city's JFK Library. Police say they do not know if the explosions are linked, but they are treating them as if they are.

The explosions at the marathon occurred as thousands of runners finished running, with crowds watching and cheering at the finish.

They came about three hours after the winners crossed the finish line.

The Associated Press said there was a loud explosion just before the bridge that marked the line. Another explosion followed a few seconds later.

DFAT says it is not aware of any Australians being hurt.

Follow our blog for live coverage (All times AEST):

7:11am: Boston Police say they are currently "stabilising situation and checking packages"

7:08am: BREAKING: The Boston Globe says more than 100 people have been injured. The official police figures are still 2 dead, 23 injured.

MARATHON EXPLOSIONS: Boston hospitals report more than 100 being treated after Marathon explosions.

- @BostonGlobe

7:07am: More video in now from the Boston Globe:

7:03am: ABC America vision of the first explosion.

7:01am: Boston airport has been closed down until further notice.

6:56am: Ed Davis says police don't have any new casualty figures.

"We don't have the number of casualties at this point in time. This is very early in this investigation. We wanted to get out here and give you as much information as we had.

Police are fanning out across the city in the hunt for explosive devices. They say every abandoned package or bag is being treated as suspicious.

Police have confirmed that there was a third explosion - a controlled detonation of a suspect package - near the finish line after the initial blasts.

6:51am: BREAKING: Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis says "simultaneous explosions" occurred along the route of the Boston Marathon near the finish line on Boylston Street at 2:50pm local time.

"These explosions occured 50 to 100 yards apart and each scene resulted in multiple casualties."

He has confirmed a third explosion at the JFK Library.

"This is very much an ongoing event at this point in time.

"We are not certain that these incidents are related but we are treating them as if they are.

"We are recommending to people that they stay home, that if they're in hotels in the area, that they return to their rooms and that they don't go any place and congregate in large crowds."

6:49am: There is an air exclusion zone over Boston. Police are due to give a press conference soon.

6:40am: Paralympian Kurt Fearnley had already finished the marathon when the blast happened.

He says he was having dinner nearby and couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"These two big thunder claps hit and I thought 'Wait, it's a beautiful day outside, what's going on?'.

We are overlooking one of the streets there for the main course, like a 100 (metres) of the finish and people started running by the front and then you started to get a bit worried."

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6:37am: It's unclear what's happening at the JFK Library: the Library itself has tweeted this:
Fire in building is out, appears to have started in the mechanical room of new building. All staff and visitors are accounted for and safe

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- @JFKLibrary
Investigators are investigating. Any tie to Boston Marathon explosions is pure speculation. More information as we receive it

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- @JFKLibrary
Australian mining magnate Clive Palmer is a board member at the library

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6:34am: BREAKING: Reuters is reporting another explosion at Boston's JFK Library, south of the CBD

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Boston police confirms another explosion at JFK Library

- @ReutersUS
6:32am: Australian Jeff Hunt, who finished in the top 15 along with Lee Troop, has spoken to ABC News Breakfast

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"I was in my hotel room when I [heard] what turned out to be an explosion which actually went off about quarter to 3, I think. I came through, we got ushered out. All the elite athletes were in the hotel when all this went off, and basically ended up having a Twitter explosion and seeing things going down and finding out that a couple of bombs have gone off and we're in lockdown

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"We're staying about 200, 300m from the finish line and the bombs went off about 200, 300m off the finish line, so just as the bulk of the 20,000 were coming through.Â

"[I] had finished, [was] going through the recovery, had come upstairs, had a shower and I heard it go off. I didn't think much thought of it. I thought that something big had dropped or fallen over or something like that. I've never heard an explosion at all in my life.Â

"New York I naturally - I thought it was something else. I mean, I wouldn't think that anyone wouldn't think that anyone would want to do something like that. I mean, I'm an optimist, and it was such a great day, everything was perfect and the whole city was in good spirits, everything was going really, really well, so that thought never ever entered my mind."

6:28am: US president Barack Obama has been told about the Boston blast. There are also reports of heightened security around the White House.

A White House official says the US President, Barack Obama, has been notified of the "incident in Boston."

- Shelley Lloyd
DFAT says Australia's Consulate-General in New York is making urgent enquiries to find out if any Australians have been hurt

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Dept of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman: "At this time we are not aware that there are any Australian victims"

- ABC reporter Simon Cullen
6:26am: Video showing the moment of the first explosion

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6:25am: Steve Moneghetti says all the Australians he knows at the marathon are OK

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Terrible tragedy at Boston Marathon. Aussies Troopy, Jeff Hunt, Deek, Tim Rowe and indigenous runner all ok

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- @steve_mona
6:21am: The Associated Press, citing an intelligence official, says two explosive devices have been found at the Boston Marathon

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MORE: US official: 2 more explosives found at Boston marathon

- @AP
6:15am: US media is reporting a small home-made bomb was the cause of at least one of the explosions. No official confirmation yet

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6:13am: Former Australian marathon champion Rob De Castella is in Boston and is trying to find a Darwin woman running in the event

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Emma Cameron was competing in the marathon as part of the Indigenous Marathon Project

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Mr De Castella believes Ms Cameron is OK because she was a long way from the finish line when the explosions happened

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6:07am: Boston Police have confirmed two deaths

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Update 23 injuries 2 dead

- @Boston_Police
6:02am: Boston police have called in all their off-duty officers. There are no confirmed fatalities at this stage

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CNN is reporting that 19 people are being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital.

6:00am: The Boston Mayor's office says police have confirmed the explosion:
Please avoid area of Copley Square to allow first responders to work

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- Mayor Thomas Menino's Office

US reporter Jackie Bruno is at the scene and says she and her cameraman felt the force of the explosion:
I saw people's legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror

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- Jackie Bruno

Cook I talked to says he tied his apron around a woman's severed leg.

- Boston Globe reporter Michael Levenson
5:56am: Boston Globe reporter Steve Silva: "Blood everywhere, victims carried out on stretchers. I saw someone lose their leg, people are crying. You can follow on Twitter

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The explosions took place about three times after the end of the marathon

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5:51am:
There were two bombs that exploded near the finish line in today's Boston Marathon. We are working with law enforcement to understand what exactly has happened

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- @bostonmarathon

5:49am:

Only thing confirmed at the moment re Boston is that there were two loud explosions at finish line of marathon and the scene is chaotic

- ABC correspondent @LisaMillar

5:46am:
Trauma nurse with Mass. General Hosp. says there are possibly two fatalities and some victims with severed limbs

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- @KSATnews

5:40am: Eyewitness Mike Mitchell of Vancouver, Canada, said he was looking back at the finish line and saw a "massive explosion."
Smoke rose 15 metres in the air, Mitchell said. People began running and screaming after hearing the noise

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5:38am: New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne says police are deploying counter-terrorism vehicles around landmarks in Manhattan

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5:35am: US media is reporting that there were two explosions at the finish line: injured people are streaming into local hospitals; reporting multiple injuries

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The hotel that serves as the headquarters for the Marathon has been locked down

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5:32am: This map shows the scene of the explosion

ABC/wires

Source:Yahoo