Explosion Rocks Boston Marathon; Status of Most Redondo Runners Unknown

Three people are dead and many more are injured as the result of a pair of explosions near the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon, according to the Boston Police Department. 

Details about the sources of the explosions have yet to be confirmed, however, CNN is reporting that the area is being investigated as a crime and scene and the Associated Press reports that two non-detonated improvised explosive devices were found along the route.

The Boston Police Department announced during a press conference that a third explosion took place at the JFK Library, several miles from the finish line.

More than 20,000 officially runners officially entered this year's race, including at least nine Redondo Beach residents.

According to the Boston Marathon's official website, Redondo Beach residents Brad Angle, Paul Cooney and Jimmy Wills finished the race at least 15 minutes before the bombs exploded. Residents Erin Beresini and Jacqueline Bost hit the halfway point of the course at 2:13 and 2:08, putting their projected finish times after the explosions.

It's not clear if Redondo Beach residents Arthur Cookson, Tony Donagrechia, Christine Hambel-Rusin or Fabian Hernandez ran in the race. All four were entered and received bib numbers, according to the Boston Marathon official website.

A search on the Google Person Finder for the Boston Marathon Explosions yielded messages that Wills and Beresini are OK.

Beresini had not yet crossed the finish line when the explosions occurred. At first, runners weren't sure what was going on, she said.

Once they found out, "people just started freaking out, calls weren't going through," she told the Daily Breeze. "A lot of people were screaming, there were kids crying."

Another Redondo Beach resident, Nancy Jo Rettig—a member of the Loopsters team—told NBC Los Angeles that the atmosphere became chaotic after the explosions. 

"We were walking towards the tunnel," she told the television station via cellphone. "You could smell it in the air."

According to the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the marathon, runners who had not finished the course at the time of the explosions were shepherded away from the crime scene.

"We can confirm that all of the remaining runners who were out on the course when the tragic events unfolded have been returned to a community meeting area," the organization said in a statement on Facebook.

Families looking for relatives or possible victims at the Boston Marathon can call 617-635-4500. For tips or information any of the three explosions in Boston, call 1-800-494-TIPS.

Anyone with any information on the health status of the runners is welcomed to leave comments below, or contact us at redondobeach@patch.com.