Like everyone else across the country, we’ve been closely following the tragic events in Boston this afternoon, including a number of tech-related angles in the story of the two explosions that hit the finish line of the Boston Marathon. For the benefit of GeekWire readers, here’s a roundup of stories and links to help track and make sense of the news as it unfolds.
- The latest from the AP reports that two people were killed and more than 100 were injured
- President Barack Obama made a statement a short while ago. “We will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we’ll find out why they did this,” he said. You can watch him speak in the video above.
- There was an initial report of cell phone service being completely shut down in Boston, but several carriers refuted that and said that an overflow of volume was slowing down service.
- Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn released this statement:
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and the people of Boston. We are monitoring the situation.”
The city also posted this:
Our thoughts are with the people of Boston, the athletes participating in the Boston Marathon and their families.
We have been in communication with the Mayor’s Office and the Office of Emergency Management. We haven’t received any information to indicate that there is a threat to Seattle. Still, we have begun taking reasonable precautions to protect our community.
On duty resources have been directed to increase their patrols in our neighborhoods and around our infrastructure. Seattle residents may see an increased police presence.
We are also asking for public support. Please report any suspicious activity to 911.
- The Seattle Times reached out to some of the marathon participants to get their reaction. You can see all 527 of the Washington-based runners at the Boston Marathon website
- Google put together a person-finder project for those trying to locate loved ones
- The Wall Street Journal has a good live feed for updated information
- There’s also a dense thread on Reddit with tons of links and info
- Here’s how you can help out the relief effort
- One of the more dramatic photos posted online:
Police react in aftermath of explosion #bostonmarathon #boylstonst (John Tlumacki photo) pic.twitter.com/pfgPjcPZAZ
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) April 15, 2013
Here’s one of the more intense videos that we came across from The Boston Globe right before the bombings that shows the immediate aftermath:
And finally, a nice picture of a couple reunited:
Couple just reunited. pic.twitter.com/R0kuf6zJYs
— Megan Johnson (@megansarahj) April 15, 2013