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BU student among 3 killed in blasts, another injured

A Boston University graduate student was among the three people killed in deadly explosions Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, officials said.

BU spokesman Colin Riley identified the student as Lingzi Lu, a Chinese international student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Another BU student was critically injured by the explosions, according to an email sent to students Monday night by BU President Robert Brown. That student , whose name also has not been released, is being treated at Boston Medical Center and is now in stable condition, according to an email to students from BU President Robert Brown.

“Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family and friends of both victims,” Brown said in his email. “As you may know, there is a vigil scheduled to take place this [Tuesday] afternoon on Marsh Plaza at 5:30 p.m. Now that we know just how seriously the Boston University community has been affected by yesterday’s [Monday’s] events, this vigil takes on a deeper and more somber significance.”

The Associated Press reported Tuesday evening that an official who was not authorized to give his name at the Chinese Consulate in New York identified the two students as Chinese nationals. The Consulate was not immediately available for comment.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends,” Riley said. “It is such a tragedy.”

Brown said counseling is available through the Dean of Students Office, Student Health Services, BU chaplains and the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Center.

The announcements of the deaths came a day after two explosions ravaged the area near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Officials have classified the attacks as an act of terrorism.

Both U.S. President Barack Obama and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino invoked the word ‘terror’ in Tuesday press conferences.

The blasts were set off by two explosive devices and may have contained BBs, nails and ball bearings as shrapnel in pressure cookers, said Richard DesLauriers, the agent in charge of the Boston FBI headquarters. Among the debris were pieces of black nylon that may indicate the use of a backpack.

Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old Arlington resident, and Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy from Dorchester, were also killed by the blasts that injured a further 176 people.

On Tuesday afternoon, a suspicious package was reported on BU’s Charles River Campus near 725 Commonwealth Ave., according to a BU Alert Service message sent to students at about 4:30 p.m.

Officers from the Boston University Police Department and Boston Police Department responded to the scene and found no threat in the area, according to a subsequent BU Alert sent around 5:00 p.m.

“You’re going to hear about these things over the next few weeks, and people report as much as they can, people keep vigilant,” Riley said.

Margaret Waterman contributed to the reporting of this article.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect BU officials releasing the name of the student killed.

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3 Comments

  1. “BU officials did not yet release the name out of respect for the family.”
    But we at the Daily Free Press have no respect… Please tell me that there are no Journalism majors working at this newspaper, because then I could understand why this paper constantly puts out awful, sometimes inaccurate, but mostly just poorly written content.

    • As the article says, the name was already released by other news sources, such as AP and The New York Times. Surely you wouldn’t consider those sources as lacking respect? The coverage of the Daily Free Press this week has been impressive, accurate, and thorough, and cited by major news organizations around the world. Why don’t you give the student journalists that have been working hard during this stressful and sad week to bring you the news a break?

  2. Christine Valente

    I am deeply saddened by this tragedy, for the victims and their families ,as well as the impact on the BU community. The way you have pulled together for each other has touched my heart and is both impressive and inspiring. May you continue to draw strength from each other and stand united through the somber moments.