Rubble lies in front of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi

In this story:

• U.S.: at least 3 bombs
• Clinton 'watching ... very closely'
• U.S. embassy in Uganda secured
• Bomb-proof doors used as stretchers
• Richardson: U.S. 'won't tolerate' terrorism

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- A pair of major explosions near U.S. embassies rocked two African capitals early Friday, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds.

Ten people were confirmed dead in Nairobi, and the Red Cross estimated a death toll of at least 40. Five people were confirmed dead in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The U.S. State Department said three American officials and one dependent are confirmed dead. Three other Americans are presumed dead. No Americans are believed to have died in Tanzania

The first blast ripped through the U.S. embassy in Nairobi about 10:30 a.m., toppling a multi-story building next door in the city's crowded center.

Hospital officials said at least 1,000 people were injured in the blast and made an urgent appeal for blood donations.

Within 10 minutes of the Nairobi blast, a similar explosion ripped through the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam, capital of neighboring Tanzania.

Video of the scene confirmed an eyewitness report that the blast destroyed the southwest section of the building in Tanzania.

Jim Owens, a witness who was inside the embassy, said the blast threw him at least 5 feet.

U.S.: at least 3 bombs

U.S. State Department officials in Washington said they believed at least three bombs were used in the two explosions.

U.S. officials also said they do not believe the explosions are connected to U.S. relations with Kenya and Tanzania, but called both blasts acts of terrorism.

"Clearly, this is a terrorist attack," U.S. State Department spokesman Lee McClenny said.

As of midday, no group had claimed responsibility for the blasts.

U.S. relations with both governments are good, officials said, adding that the nations are two of the most unlikely places to find an act of terrorism against the United States.

CNN's Andrea Koppel reported that the State Department had already formed a task force to look into the explosions.

A soldier outside the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam

Clinton 'watching ... very closely'

The Associated Press reported that U.S. officials woke President Clinton at 5:30 a.m. to tell him of the explosions.

"He's watching it very closely," an administration official said. "Obviously, at this point (the reaction is) shock. We're just trying to get more information."

Clinton was informed of the attacks by National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, The Associated Press reported.

In Nairobi, an embassy official who refused to identify himself said he believed the blast was caused by a bomb.

"You can see a huge crater behind the building, and a bomb went off at the embassy in Tanzania at the same time," the U.S. official said.

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The Associated Press reported that the Tanzanian blast, believed to have been a car bomb, came from the parking lot of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam.

U.S. embassy in Uganda secured

Cranes were being rushed to the scenes of both explosions to help lift debris and search for victims.

U.S. Marines immediately secured the U.S. compound in Dar es Salaam.

Reuters reported that the U.S. embassy in Uganda's capital, Kampala, was cordoned off and that police bomb experts were checking vehicles for bombs. Uganda borders both Tanzania and Kenya.

U.S. ambassador Prudence Bushnell was among those injured in the Kenyan explosion, officials said. Bushnell had just given a news conference at the Cooperative Bank. It's not clear if she was injured in the bank building or in the embassy.

Reports indicated Bushnell suffered a cut on her lip.

Bomb-proof doors used as stretchers

The blast caused Nairobi's Ufundi Cooperative building, next door to the embassy, to collapse.

CNN International reported that the force of the blast blew off the embassy's bomb-proof doors. The doors were used as stretchers to carry the injured away.

Hundreds of injured were sprawled screaming on the sidewalk with bloody wounds, and at least 54 were taken to hospital emergency rooms in Nairobi.

The blast shook downtown Nairobi and shattered windows as far as 10 blocks away. Bloodied clothing and papers littered the streets.

Several people were killed aboard two buses that were passing by at the time of the blast, witnesses said.

Rescuers clamored atop a tangle of concrete and metal bars, clawing through wreckage to try to reach dozens of trapped people.

Armed U.S. Marines patrolled the streets outside both embassies.

A U.S. flag was blown off the embassy in Nairobi and was draped limply on an iron fence.

Richardson: U.S. 'won't tolerate' terrorism

The explosions are the first major blasts Kenya and Tanzania have experienced since gaining independence in the 1960s.

The Nairobi explosion shocked millions of Kenyans, whose nation is typically considered a safe haven for war-affected countries in the region, a Red Cross official in Nairobi told CNN International.

Bill Richardson, the U.S. ambassador-designate to the United Nations, called the explosions tragic and said they exemplify the vulnerability of U.S. overseas personnel.

"If any of our embassies are being targeted, we're not going to tolerate this," Richardson told CNN.

"We can't speculate now" on who might be behind the explosions, Richardson said. "We have good solid relationships with both countries."

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