Two Explosions Reported at Boston Marathon, Multiple Injuries, Casualties Reported

[Author's note: This article contains graphic images. Please proceed with caution.]

• Explosions rock city on day of Boston Marathon.
• At least three reported dead, 130 more being treated with various injuries.
• Runners participating in Boston Marathon stranded, terrified.
• At least two more explosive devices reportedly recovered by authorities.

• Security ramped up in D.C., New York City.
• White House characterizes bombings as an "act of terror."
• "Person of interest" reportedly under guard in Boston hospital.
• FBI disputes, says no suspect at hospital

@BGlobeSports

FINAL UPDATE 9:51 p.m. ET -- The​Wall Street Journal now reports authorities dispute whether the five devices found after the explosions were actually bombs.

Also, earlier reports that authorities shut down all cell service appear to be inaccurate:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/petersvensson/status/323914928308252672"]

"A law enforcement official ... said cellphone service had been shut down Monday in the Boston area to prevent any potential remote detonations of explosives," the Associated Press notes.

"But officials with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel said there had been no such requests," the report adds.

That's about it for now. Any further developments/corrections will be added when they become available. The next presser will be held Tuesday morning:

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UPDATE 8:48 p.m. ET– “Counter-terrorism officials found what they believe to be five additional, undetonated explosive devices around the Boston area, according to two people briefed on the rapidly moving investigation,” the Wall Street Journal notes.

Yes, five undetonated devices.

A spokesman for the FBI said the agency would continue to investigate the bombings and said that it is a "criminal investigation that is a potential terrorism investigation." The FBI also stressed that there is no suspect in custody, a direct contradiction to earlier widespread reports.

Lastly, official reports put the death toll at three.

UPDATE 7:56 p.m. ET -- CNN reports 132 bombing victims so far, with at least 10 amputations.

"Doctors are pulling ball bearings out of victims," Jared Keller, director of social media at Bloomberg news, tweeted.

UPDATE 7:51 p.m. ET -- Officials have said, and local news is reporting, they are now going to search all 26 miles of the marathon route to ensure there are no other devices.

UPDATE 7:43 p.m. ET -- Local outlet WBZ-TV reports that a SWAT team in full gear is "now searching a parking garage adjacent to Mass. general," the hospital where many victims were taken.

The TV report said officials are "searching that for a possible suspicious device" and have evacuated the immediate area.

UPDATE 7:36 p.m. ET -- President Obama in his address to the nation did not refer to today's bombings as "acts of terror." After his speech, however, the White House clarified its stance on today's tragedy.

“Any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror,” an official said, according to POLITICO.

“We don’t yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic,” the official added.

UPDATE 7:03 p.m. ET -- The number of injured has climbed to 120 people with 15 in critical condition, the Associated Press reports.

UPDATE 6:38 p.m. ET -- Policehave confirmed that one of the casualties in Monday's bombings was an eight-year-old boy, NBC News reports:

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/323926256880082944"]

UPDATE 6:14 p.m. ET -- President Barack Obama on Monday addressed the Boston Marathon bombings.

"We will find out who did this and we will find out why this did it," he said, adding that the responsible parties will feel the "full weight of justice."

UPDATE 6:10p.m. ET -- CNN reports that the FBI is "now characterizing the bombings as terrorist attacks." FBI does not know whether it is foreign or domestic.

UPDATE 5:55 p.m. ET --  State officials, including Gov. Deval Patrick, held a press conference to address the marathon explosions:

UPDATE 5:30 p.m. ET-- "An Associated Press reporter and two witnesses near the twin blasts that rocked the Boston Marathon finish line Monday describe what they heard and saw​":

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. ET -- The New York Post reports that a "person of interest" is "currently being guarded in a Boston hospital with shrapnel wounds." CBS News and Fox News have confirmed that authorities are indeed holding a "person of interest."

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Two explosions on Monday rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

There were two booms heard from near the finish line inside the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel.

"It happened around 2:45 p.m. outside Marathon Sports on Boylston Street, according to WBZ-TV’s Lisa Hughes, who was near the scene covering the marathon," WBZ-TV reports.

The marker denotes the areas affected by the explosions.

There were two “incredibly powerful explosions just seconds apart,” Hughes added.

Early reports claim some people were reportedly missing limbs while others had blood on their heads. As of this writing (3:30 p.m. ET), there are 10 victims with missing limbs at Massachusetts General, according to Fox News, citing an ER doctor.

Counter terrorism units have been deployed at Boston hotels and landmarks -- as security precaution at this point.

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Race officials have locked down and are now evacuating the nearby Lenox hotel because of the report. Officials have so far said nothing about the explosions being linked to a potential terrorist attack:

Bomb sniffing dogs have been brought in and all bomb squad experts have been dispatched to the area.

As of 4:02 p.m ET, the New York Post reports 12 deaths in Monday's explosion. However, other news outlets put that figure much lower: Police have confirmed only two casualties and the Boston Globe reports about 100 are being treated with various injuries.

A reported third explosion sent off a wave of panic, but multiple news sources claim it was just a "controlled explosion" performed by police sweeping the area for suspicious devices.

Police have also found and dismantled two additional devices found near the scene of the explosions, according to USA Today.

Here are some of the photos pouring in from Twitter. The following picture shows what appears to be one of the explosions at the moment of detonation:

Courtesy @Boston_to_a_T

This aerial photo shows the post-explosions destruction:

"Aerial shot of the scene looks terrible. Blood everywhere." Courtesy @BuzzFeedAndrew

Then there's this terrifying photo of the aftermath:

Twitter

It's just awful:

Screen grab.

President Barack Obama has been notified of the explosions and the White House says he is "monitoring" events.

Following initial reports of the bombings, the White House has increased its security, "fighters are on standby," as CBS News reports, and security "is going up all over the country."

• Click here to watch the live feed from CBS News.
• Click here to see the shocking photos from Monday's explosions.

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Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

The AP contributed to this report. Featured image screen grab.