BLAST IN ATLANTA INJURES HUNDREDS : EXPLOSION OCCURS AT OLYMPIC PARK CONCERT.Byline: Paul Newberry Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. A massive explosion rocked Centennial Olympic Park Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre (85,000 m²) public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. early today, injuring hundreds of people, fire officials said. A spokeswoman for the Atlanta Fire Department, who would not give her name, said that 150 to 200 people were injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. about 1:15 a.m. when the explosion struck a tower near a stage where thousands of revelers were watching a concert. There were no immediate reports of any fatalities in the explosion that rocked neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. buildings and could be heard throughout the downtown area. ``I thought it was fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to , like a big boom, and I saw three guys laying in the street,'' said Terry Tyson, who witnessed the explosion. ``They all had leg injuries. Blood was running down the street. It was horrible.'' Tom Williams Tom Williams can refer to:
``I was walking along and three people were laying in the street,'' he said. ``I didn't see any fire, just smoke.'' He said the three men he saw must have been ``blown over the fence'' that surrounds the park, since there was no other debris in the street. The tower, apparently used for lighting and sound near the main concert stage at the park, still was standing after the blast, but debris littered the base of the structure. Another witness, Chris Bender, said he heard what sounded like a cannon. ``I saw a bunch of smoke come up and saw particles in my eyes In My Eyes was a Boston straight edge band that spearheaded the 1997 youth crew revival along with Ten Yard Fight, Bane, The Trust, Fastbreak and Floorpunch. The band and its members were a part of the hot bed that was the Boston music scene in the late 90's and early 2000's. ,'' he said. Police and other security officers swarmed through the streets trying to clear the area, forcing people away from the park, which sits at the hub of the Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. . Three major sports arenas are adjacent to the park, though sports competition had ended when the explosion occurred. The park was packed with people, many of whom ran through the streets in tears. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1--FINAL only) A security guard directs people a way from the AT&T Pavillion area in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park after this morning's blast. Thomas Hinton/Allsport (2--VALLEY only) The injured are loaded onto ambulances after an explosion at a concert at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. (3--VALLEY only) Civilians and medical personnel tend the injured after the explosion at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. Associated Press |
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