April 16, 2013
Alexandra Taylor
Assistant Editor
The Nation
The Boston Marathon, the most joyful event of the year for many city residents, took a terrifying turn yesterday when two consecutive explosions near the finish line on Boylston Street sent shrapnel flying through a crowd of onlookers. Both runners and spectators were injured in the blast, many of whom lost limbs. At this time, three people have died, including eight-year-old Martin Richard, and at least another 140 suffer from injuries. The FBI has officially classified the event as a terror incident and is spearheading the investigation. While at first the explosions were thought to be linked to a fire at the John F. Kennedy Library, it seems that the two were separate events. The Mandarin and Lenox Hotels near Copley Square were evacuated and searched for explosive devices, but the only two confirmed devices are those that caused the twin explosions.
While at this time no one has claimed responsibility, President Obama stated that “any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice. I’m supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other and move forward as one proud city.” The reality of his words was immediately obvious to anyone watching the coverage of the tragedy: as soon as the first blast occurred, one could see runners, police officers, reserve soldiers, and spectators running back into the smoke to lift debris off of the victims. The medical tent, set up to treat exhausted runners, was quickly converted to perform triage for the seriously injured. Runner Katherine Switzer’s observation, “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon,” was especially poignant, as people rushed in to help after this terribly tragic incident. Many runners continued on after finishing the marathon straight to the hospital, where they donated blood for the wounded. As Vice President Biden remarked, “Our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injuries. I don’t know how many there are. I don’t know any of the details of what caused it, who did it, but our prayers are with the people of Boston.”
Photo courtesy of Aaron Tang
