'My dear son Martin has died'

An eight-year-old boy was killed in the Boston Marathon bombings as he waited for his father to finish the race.

Martin Richard, from Dorchester, a neighbourhood of Boston, was among the three people killed in the blasts yesterday that erupted just metres from the marathon finish line.

Martin’s father Bill issued a statement confirming his young son had been killed when bombs exploded at the finish line of the marathon. Martin's mother and sister were seriously injured.

"My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston," Bill Richard wrote. "My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers."

“I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin.”

The family released a photo of Martin at a hockey game, dressed in Boston Bruins regalia.

Three people including Martin were killed yesterday, but only Martin's name has been made public. At least 176 people were injured, law enforcement officials said.

The identity of a second victim was revealed this evening with the news that a 29-year-old restaurant manager has been identified as one of three people killed in the bombing.

Her father says Krystle Campbell, of Medford, Massachusetts, had gone with her best friend to take a picture of the friend's boyfriend crossing the finish line yesterday afternoon. William Campbell said his daughter, who worked at a restaurant in nearby Arlington, was "very caring, very loving person, and was daddy's little girl." He saisd the loss has devastated the family. He added that the friend was seriously injured in the explosion.