BLAST IN ATLANTA INJURES HUNDREDS : EXPLOSION OCCURS AT OLYMPIC PARK CONCERT.

Byline: Paul Newberry Associated Press

A massive explosion rocked Centennial Olympic Park 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 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 buildings and could be heard throughout the downtown area.

``I thought it was fireworks, 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 was standing just across the street when he heard the tower ``blow up.''

``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,'' 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. 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