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.