Boston shaken, world stirred
17 April 2013 7:06 AM IST
Three people, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed, and over 144 injured as terror revisited the US on Monday with two massive explosions targeting the Boston Marathon within 12 seconds of each other. The two bombs exploded in the crowded streets near the finish line of the Marathon, which is an annual ritual held on Patriot’s Day, resulting in a bloodied ‘war zone’, with shattered glass and severed limbs flying all around.
Investigative authorities and security experts are saying that the bombings were most likely a ‘one-man operation’, adding that the bombs could have easily been hidden in a backpack, and the perpetrator could have been well camouflaged amongst the thousands of spectators who flooded the Black Bay to witness the famous Marathon.
The US political fraternity was quick to condemn the attack, with president Barack Obama vowing that the culprits would feel the ‘full weight of justice.’
Reacting to the US Boston bombings the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that it remains committed to the effort to defeat terrorism and that Indian Embassy in Washington DC and Indian Consulate General in New York have been placed on alert although no reports have as yet been received of injuries caused to Indian nationals.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday wrote to US President Barack Obama expressing solidarity with the American people in the wake of the ‘senseless and cowardly act’.
‘THIS WON’T STOP US FROM RUNNING AGAIN’
Another unspeakable tragedy of our times. It is moments like these that make us stop and ask: Is this really happening? Never before had something of this form and magnitude happened in Boston. And certainly not on the quintessential Boston day, the day of the Boston Marathon.
The bombs – ‘trash bombs’ as they are calling them now – struck near the finish line of the marathon, near Copley Square, which is a couple of blocks away from my office. It’s right in the heart of the city, a few blocks away from the financial district of Boston.
People usually tend to accumulate near the finish line, and that’s why it may have been an ‘ideal’ location for these attacks. While most, if not all, offices were closed on occasion of Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon, the large cheering crowds got to face the brunt of the tragic events.
What is heartening to note is the absolute fearlessness shown continually by the police, firefighters and medical personnel. All our thoughts and prayers go out to the many people and their families affected. However, Boston’s a strong city – and people are already leaving no stones unturned to get back to their normal lives. And, while the Boston Marathon will never have the same innocence, we will be back in larger numbers at the finish line next year.
Writer works with a Fortune 100 insurance firm in Boston (Damayanti Halder)
Investigative authorities and security experts are saying that the bombings were most likely a ‘one-man operation’, adding that the bombs could have easily been hidden in a backpack, and the perpetrator could have been well camouflaged amongst the thousands of spectators who flooded the Black Bay to witness the famous Marathon.
The US political fraternity was quick to condemn the attack, with president Barack Obama vowing that the culprits would feel the ‘full weight of justice.’
Reacting to the US Boston bombings the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said that it remains committed to the effort to defeat terrorism and that Indian Embassy in Washington DC and Indian Consulate General in New York have been placed on alert although no reports have as yet been received of injuries caused to Indian nationals.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday wrote to US President Barack Obama expressing solidarity with the American people in the wake of the ‘senseless and cowardly act’.
‘THIS WON’T STOP US FROM RUNNING AGAIN’
Another unspeakable tragedy of our times. It is moments like these that make us stop and ask: Is this really happening? Never before had something of this form and magnitude happened in Boston. And certainly not on the quintessential Boston day, the day of the Boston Marathon.
The bombs – ‘trash bombs’ as they are calling them now – struck near the finish line of the marathon, near Copley Square, which is a couple of blocks away from my office. It’s right in the heart of the city, a few blocks away from the financial district of Boston.
People usually tend to accumulate near the finish line, and that’s why it may have been an ‘ideal’ location for these attacks. While most, if not all, offices were closed on occasion of Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon, the large cheering crowds got to face the brunt of the tragic events.
What is heartening to note is the absolute fearlessness shown continually by the police, firefighters and medical personnel. All our thoughts and prayers go out to the many people and their families affected. However, Boston’s a strong city – and people are already leaving no stones unturned to get back to their normal lives. And, while the Boston Marathon will never have the same innocence, we will be back in larger numbers at the finish line next year.
Writer works with a Fortune 100 insurance firm in Boston (Damayanti Halder)
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