Reply With Quote
Multiple explosions rock London
'Terrible injuries' reported in blasts
Thursday, July 7, 2005; Posted: 6:08 a.m. EDT (10:08 GMT)
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Near simultaneous explosions rocked the London Underground network and three buses at the morning rush hour, police said, causing injuries and prompting officials to shut down the entire underground transport network.
Some media reports said there were fatalities.
The explosions came a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics and as the G8 summit was getting underway in Scotland. Initial reports blamed a power surge, but officials were not ruling out a terrorist attack.
"There have been a number of dreadful incidents across London today," said Home Secreatary Charles Clarke, Britain's top law enforcement officer. He said there were "terrible injuries."
The Tube blasts at the height of the rush hour on Thursday were initially blamed on a power surge.
But amid the chaos eyewitnesses reported that a packed double decker bus in the Russell Square area had been severely damaged in a blast.
A second bus was reported to have been damaged in Tavistock Square.
Describing the Russell Square blast, eyewitness Belinda Seabrook told the UK Press Association she saw an explosion rip through the bus as it approached the Square.
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air," she said.
She said the bus was travelling from Euston to Russell Square and had been "packed" with people turned away from Tube stops.
Travellers emerged from underground tunnels covered in blood and soot. Scotland Yard declared the emergency a "major incident."
Emergency services were called to London's Liverpool Street Station after reports of an explosion shortly before 9 a.m.
A short while later, London Underground said there had been "another incident at Edgware Road" station in north west London.
@ terrorists
