Minnesota state Sen. Scott Dibble ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday and was not near the explosions that were reported near the finish line, his staff members said.

Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, had left the area before the explosions and was not near the site when it was hit, his staff said. They said the senator neither saw nor heard the explosions.

According to initial news report, two explosions hit near the finish line long after the fastest runners had finished, and two deaths and several injuries were reported. Many runners were still out on the course when the blasts hit.