Explosions Reported Near Boston Marathon Finish Line

The Boston Globe is reporting that there were two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

According to NBC, at least two people died and 23 more were injured.

The explosions occurred a few seconds apart at about 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, according to CNN.

The Boston Marathon headquarters is on lockdown, according to Reuters.

Boston Marathon officials shared this message on Facebook: "There were two bombs that exploded near the finish line in today's Boston Marathon. We are working with law enforcement to understand what exactly has happened."

The Boston Marathon website shows that 974 people from Illinois are participating in this year's event. The roster includes seven Vernon Hills residents, five of whom appeared to be running, according to the marathon results page. Participants from Vernon Hills include Mary Banks, Regina Friedman, Michael Marquardt, Cathleen Stavropoulos and Jun Yunase. All but Stavropoulos were reported to have crossed the finish line before the explosions occurred. Two other Vernon Hills runners, Paul Becker and Christiana Cioffi, were registered for the race. It was not clear from the results page whether they participated.

Follow Back Bay Patch for live updates on this story.

Do you know anyone who is running the marathon? Tell us in the comment section.