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Olympic Park Party Turns into Nightmare

By LARRY McSHANE

Associated Press Writer

ATLANTA (AP) - It was an early-morning Olympic party, U.S.A.-style, filling the streets of downtown Atlanta as the night gave way to day. Amid the revelry, the beer drinking, the dancing in the streets came the explosion - and everything changed.

``It was like a shockwave hit us,'' said Ron Otero, an Atlanta police officer. ``The next thing you know, we saw people on the ground.''

After the explosion, ``then the smell came,'' said John Mangles of Durham, N.C. ``Like gunpowder.''

Atlanta, which had promised unparalleled Olympic security, was in chaos.

The blast occurred in Centennial Olympic Park, the social center of the Atlanta Games. You didn't need pricey tickets or political connections to get inside; all you needed was a little Olympic spirit.

In one of a series of concerts at the park, Jack Mack and the Heart Attack were performing onstage when the explosion rocked the park.

Jeff Mitchell, 33, of Atlanta heard ``a muffled explosion,'' followed by ``shards of metal flying over the fence.''

He spotted four people lying on the ground. People were running, screaming, bleeding.

The band stopped playing for a minute, then resumed.

Then chaos broke loose.

``We walked over, and there were two people lying in the street,'' said Egon Kardum, an Associated Press technician. ``There was no smell of smoke, just a really quick blue light.''

The downtown area turned from party center to triage unit, as dozens of emergency vehicles flooded the surrounding blocks. People who were partying just minutes earlier walked the streets in a daze.

Police and fire trucks tore through downtown, and ambulances rushed victims to emergency rooms.

Police sealed off the perimeter for several blocks around the park, forcing people away from the park. People in the streets were crying and embracing as loud and nervous cops redirected traffic.

``I thought I was through. My whole body shook,'' said Michael Cutright of Atlanta, who had been about 300 yards away when the explosion hit.

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