Boston explosion: 8-yr-old victim died waiting to watch dad cross finish line #GBB

Eight-year-old Martin Richard was killed by the first of the explosions that rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon. He had been there waiting to watch his father Bill cross the line: a rite of passage for scores of Boston youngsters living in the city that hosts one of the world’s oldest races.

According to the Boston Globe, Martin was very nearly saved from the blast after running out to hug his father, but his father kept on going and Martin returned to his mother. As Mr Richard carried on, his son, six-year-old daughter and wife were hit by the first of the blasts that came just 10 seconds and 90m apart. Martin was one of three killed by the twin blasts.

His sister Jane has reportedly lost a leg and his mother Denise is understood to have undergone surgery for a serious head injury. They were among the 170 who were injured in the attack. His older brother, 12-year-old Henry, is not thought to have been hurt in the explosion. According to neighbours, Mr Richard, who runs an environmental testing company, returned to his home in the Dorchester suburb of Boston this morning still in hospital scrubs.