IN the moments after twin bomb blasts tore through the Boston Marathon finish line, Australians caught up in the drama hugged and thanked their "lucky stars".
The attack on Boston's great race killed three people - including an eight-year-old boy - and maimed at least 120 more.
But authorities do not believe any of the 153 Australians who lined up for the event alongside 24,000 other runners were injured.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the safety of Australians who could have been caught up in the destruction was of "paramount concern".
"At this stage we are not aware of any Australian victims, so we do not have any evidence of course at the moment that any Australians have been hurt in this incident," Ms Gillard told reporters in Canberra.
Late on Tuesday afternoon (AEST) the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP this information had not changed.
A department travel warning for Australians travelling to the US was updated, but not upgraded, in the hours after the blasts.
Foreign Minister Bob Carr said fears the incident was a terrorist attack were legitimate.
"We know that home-grown terrorists have been a feature of life in Europe, the US and here," Senator Carr said.
"It's legitimate to be concerned about the prospect that this does represent a domestic terrorist strike."
Among the Australian runners was Perth woman Trish Farr, who was safely back at her hotel when she heard the bombs go off 30 seconds apart.
She told AAP she and fellow contestants thought they were fireworks.
But when the sound of fire engines filled the air, they realised something was terribly wrong.
"We just hugged each other and spoke to and texted our families, and thanked our lucky stars we all had our skates on and didn't dawdle," Ms Farr told AAP.
Australia's number one ranked marathon runner Jeff Hunt finished eighth and Lee Troop came 15th, while Paralympians Kurt Fearnley and Christie Dawes came fifth in their respective wheelchair races.
Fearnley tweeted about the explosions but did not grasp the extent of the carnage until later.
He said he was "sickened".
Former Boston Marathon winner and 1983 world champion Robert de Castella was in town supporting Australian athlete Emma Cameron, who competed as part of his Indigenous Marathon Project.
"There was obviously a fair bit of chaos and pandemonium at the finish line," said Mr de Castella when he confirmed Ms Cameron was safe.
Their team is preparing to return home.
Sydney woman Louise Kring was the last Australian to finish the race before the bombs went off, crossing the line five minutes prior to the blasts, but was not affected and safely made it to her hotel.
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