London bombs killed 'at least 50'

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Last Updated: Friday, 8 July, 2005, 11:30 GMT 12:30 UK

The final death toll for the London bombs will be at least 50, the head of the Metropolitan Police says.


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A series of bomb attacks on London's transport network has killed more than 30 people and injured about 700 others.
Three explosions on the Underground left 35 dead, two died in a blast on a bus and another died later in hospital.



Passengers were evacuated from King's Cross station

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the bombings had "the hallmarks of an al-Qaeda-related attack".

Prime Minister Tony Blair promised the "most intense police and security service action to make sure we bring those responsible to justice".

Mr Blair, who had returned to London from the G8 summit in Gleneagles, condemned the terrorists and paid tribute to the stoicism and resilience of the people of London.

"They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do," he said in a televised statement from Downing Street.



Map of where the blasts happened
They "should not and they must not succeed," he said.

"We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and law-abiding people who abhor those who do this every bit as much as we do," he added.

The Queen, who will visit some of those involved in the tragedy on Friday, said she was "deeply shocked" and sent her sympathy to those affected. The union jack flag was flying at half mast over Buckingham Palace.

Further details of the Queen's visit will be announced on Friday morning.

Blast timeline
0851 Seven people die in a blast on a train 100 yards from Liverpool Street station
0856 21 people die in a blast on a train between Russell Square and King's Cross stations
0917 Seven people die in blast on a train at Edgware Road station
0947 Two people die in a blast on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Place

US President George Bush told reporters at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles "the war on terror goes on."

Hundreds of thousands of commuters faced difficult journeys home from London on Thursday night after a day of travel chaos.

Many opted to walk while some booked into hotels.

By late afternoon, major routes out of London, including the M25 and M4, were jammed and motorists have been urged not to drive into the centre as many roads are shut.

All London Underground services have been suspended until at least Friday.

Bus services have resumed in central London (Zone One) with diversions in affected areas. Most mainline train stations are open.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick confirmed 35 people had died in the blasts on the Underground.

They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do

Tony Blair


Blair statement in full
He said there were 21 confirmed fatalities following the blast at 0856 BST on a Piccadilly Line train in a tunnel between King's Cross and Russell Square.

There were seven confirmed deaths after a blast at 0851 BST 100 yards into a tunnel from Liverpool Street station. The train involved was a Circle Line train.

And at 0917 BST an explosion on another Circle Line train coming into Edgware Road underground station blew a hole through a wall onto another train at an adjoining platform.

Three trains were thought to be involved and there were seven confirmed deaths so far, Mr Paddick said.

He said two had died in the bus blast at 0947 at the junction of Upper Woburn Place and Tavistock Square.


Two people died in the bus blast
There were also 700 people injured, Mr Paddick said.

London Ambulance Service said it had treated 45 patients with serious or critical injuries including burns, amputations, chest and blast injuries and fractured limbs.

In other developments:


The police set up a casualty bureau number on 0870 1566344

The officer in charge of policing the G8 summit said many of the 1,500 Metropolitan Police officers in Scotland would be urgently redeployed to London


Celebrations to mark the homecoming from Singapore of the successful London Olympic bid team were cancelled

54 state schools were closed in Westminster

Mobile phone services across London were jammed with all major networks reporting problems as people tried to contact relatives and friends. A spokeswoman for Vodafone said the emergency services were being given priority.
Mr Paddick confirmed police were looking into whether the bus blast was the work of a suicide bomber.

But, he added: "It could as easily be an explosive device left on the bus as the work of a suicide bomber. We are not able to determine which it was yet."

HAVE YOUR SAY
There are a lot of people phoning loved ones to make sure they are ok

Amy Hinkley, London,


Have you been affected?

He said no warning had been given before the blasts and that no-one had yet claimed to be behind them.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said he had been told by Whitehall sources that a "massive intelligence effort" was under way to find the perpetrators of the bombings.

He also said a previously unknown group calling itself the Secret Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe had claimed to be behind the attacks in a statement posted on an Islamist website.

The group's statement said the attacks were revenge for the "massacres" Britain was committing in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the country was now "burning with fear and panic", he added.

Early reports had suggested a power surge could be to blame for explosions on the Underground but this was later discounted.





"I was on the Tube, and they stopped the train and told everyone to get off and evacuate the station."

He said staff had said the entire Tube network had been affected, and leaflets had been handed out with details of alternative bus routes.

Another eyewitness, Dorothy Molloy, had been on a Tube train at King's Cross and said "staff just chucked everyone out of the station".

She said staff there had not given any details, but she said two passengers she had spoken to had said they had received messages saying there had been bombs.

"People didn't really know what was going on, they were just huffing and puffing and saying how annoying it was," she said.

"People don't seem to be panicked, but there's so many police and ambulances coming into the areas. People are just concerned, and some are just annoyed at the delay."

If you're in the area we would like to hear from you. Send us your comments using the form below including if possible a phone number. If you have any pictures please send them to [e-mail] or by mobile phone to 07921 648159.




news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4659093.stm

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LONDON (Reuters) - An explosion blew up a bus in central London on Thursday, police told Reuters after witnesses said they had heard a big boom.

Police closed off the area around Tavistock Square. A policeman, who declined to be identified, said there had been an explosion on a bus.

"We heard a big boom and we were all told to evacuate the building," an officer worker said. There was no word on casualties.

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Large numbers of casualties have been reported after at least six explosions on the Underground network and a double-decker bus in London.


Firefighters aid an injured passenger at Aldgate station

Scotland Yard confirmed one of several reports of explosions on buses in the city - in Tavistock Place - but said the cause was not yet known.

UK Home Secretary Charles Clarke said several explosions in central London had caused "terrible injuries".

All Tube services and bus services in central London have been suspended.

"The health services are in support to deal with the terrible injuries that there have been," Clarke told reporters outside Downing Street.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said there had been at least six explosions, but said the picture was still "very confused".

Scotland Yard said explosions have been reported at Edgware Road, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Russell Square, Aldgate East and Moorgate.


08:49 police called to Liverpool Street tube station after reports of a bang
Blasts also reported at Aldgate East, Edgware Rd, Kings Cross, Moorgate, Russell Square tube stations
10:14 Reports of blast on bus at Tavistock Square

Number 10 said it was "still unsure" whether the explosions were a terrorist attack and although casualties were reported, no further details were yet available.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is to make a live televised statement on the explosions in London at 1200 BST, Downing Street added.

All London Underground services have been suspended indefinitely and bus services in central London (Zone One) have been halted.

A spokesman for Vodafone said emergency services were being given priority access to the mobile phone network which was causing problems for other users.

One caller to BBC Five said his friend had seen "the bus ripped open like a can of sardines and bodies everywhere".


Loyita Worley, who works for a City law firm, said she was on the underground train when an explosion took place in the next carriage, while it was in a tunnel.

The 49-year-old said: "All the lights went out and the train came to an immediate halt. There was smoke everywhere and everyone was coughing and choking, but remained calm. We couldn't open the doors."

Once the doors were opened they were taken along to Liverpool Street station.

She said the carriage where an explosion happened was "black on the inside" she saw people who appeared to have their clothes blown off, and she saw bodies lying inside the carriage.

And the Press Association quoted union officials as saying sources had told them there had been at least one explosive device on the Underground.

There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked. People started screaming and crying

Jacqui Head
BBC News


Bus 'ripped apart' in explosion
Have you been affected?

British Transport Police said incidents took place at Aldgate, Edgware Road, King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square stations.

Scotland Yard confirmed they were assisting with a "major incident" and said there were casualties.

Hospitals have said they are no longer accepting non-emergency cases, BBC Five Live reported.

The National Grid, which supplies power to the Underground, said there had been no problems with its system which could have contributed to the incidents.

'Screaming and crying'

Jacqui Head, from BBC News, who had just left King's Cross station on a Piccadilly Line train as an explosion happened, said: "Everything was normal. Suddenly there was a massive bang, the train jolted.

"There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked. People started screaming and crying."

The train was kept in the tunnel for 20 minutes and no announcement was made to explain the delay to passengers, she added.

Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, near Kings Cross, told Five Live: "My only thought in the midst of all this confusion is that after the celebration of yesterday (for the Olympic 2012 London success) for people to be evil enough - if it is the intentional causing of death and injury - and think that they can justify this in any circumstances is completely unacceptable."

London Fire Brigade said four crews were at Liverpool Street and more were on their way.

Another passenger, who had left the Tube at Fenchurch Street Station, and walked to Aldgate East, told BBC Five Live that he saw injured people.

"As I walked through the bus station I could see people lying on the ground, black, as if they'd been covered in smoke. There were about three or four people on the floor being treated."

Eyewitness Paul Woloszyn from BBC News, who was at Blackhorse Road station on the Victoria Line, said: "We were told there was a bomb at Liverpool Street station.



"I was on the Tube, and they stopped the train and told everyone to get off and evacuate the station."

He said staff had said the entire Tube network had been affected, and leaflets had been handed out with details of alternative bus routes.

Another eyewitness, Dorothy Molloy, had been on a Tube train at King's Cross and said "staff just chucked everyone out of the station".

She said staff there had not given any details, but she said two passengers she had spoken to had said they had received messages saying there had been bombs.

"People didn't really know what was going on, they were just huffing and puffing and saying how annoying it was," she said.

"People don't seem to be panicked, but there's so many police and ambulances coming into the areas. People are just concerned, and some are just annoyed at the delay."



news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4659093.stm

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London blasts: At a glance
Several people have been injured after a series of explosions across London.
The BBC News website is covering events as they unfold:

1126 The president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, blames terrorism for a "coordinated series of attacks" and "confirmed deaths"


1118 London's Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair tells the BBC he knows of "about six explosions", one on a bus and the others related to Underground stations. He says he believes the six affected areas are Edgware Road, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Russell Square, Aldgate East and Moorgate, but says it is "still a confusing situation". He advises Londoners to "stay where you are - all of London's transport is currently disabled" - he refuses to confirm any fatalities


1055 A doctor tells Reuters there are at least 90 casualties at Aldgate station

1053 Home Secretary Charles Clarke makes a statement outside Downing Street about "dreadful incidents" causing "terrible injuries". He says Prime Minister Tony Blair has been informed and advises the public in London not to make unneccessary journeys

1049 Police say there are serious casualties, but no deaths are confirmed, Associated Press reports

1025 The BBC's Andrew Marr, with the prime minister in Gleneagles, says Number 10 is "still unsure" whether the explosions are a terrorist attack

1023British Transport Police confirm an explosion on a bus in Tavistock Place

1021 Scotland Yard reports "multiple explosions" in London, the Press Association reports


1014 An eyewitness tells PA that a bus has been ripped apart in an explosion in central London

1009 Witness Christina Lawrence, who was on a train leaving Kings Cross, tells BBC News 24: "There was a loud bang in the tunnel and the train just stopped and all of a sudden it was filled with black, gassy smoke and we couldn't breathe"

1002 Scotland Yard says it is dealing with a "major incident"

0940 British Transport Police say power surge incidents have occurred on the Underground at Aldgate, Edgware Road, King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square stations

0933London Underground reports "another incident at Edgware Road" station, PA reports

0933 Passengers are told that all London Underground services are being suspended because of a power fault across the network, PA reports

0924 British Transport Police say the incident was possibly caused by a collision between two trains, a power cut or a power cable exploding. Police report "walking wounded"

0915 Press Association reports emergency services called to London's Liverpool Street Station after reports of an explosion

0849 An incident on the Metropolitan Line between Liverpool Street and Aldgate is reported to British Transport Police


news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4659331.stm

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MILAN (Reuters) - A previously unknown group claimed responsibility in the name of al Qaeda for a series of blasts in London that killed at least two people and wounded 185, the Italian news agency ANSA reported on Thursday.

The "Secret Group of al Qaeda's Jihad in Europe" claimed the attack in a Web site posting and warned Italy and Denmark to withdraw their troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, ANSA said.

The claim could not be verified and did not appear on any of the Web sites normally used by al Qaeda.

"Heroic fighters of the Arab nation, it is time for revenge against the crusader and Zionist British government, in response to the massacre carried out by Great Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan," ANSA quoted the message as saying on a site it named as "el qal3ah.com".

"We command the Italian and Danish governments to pull their troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan."


today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-07T120041Z_01_BAU742140_RTRUKOC_0_BRITAIN-BLAST-CLAIM.xml

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Introduction
Four explosions ripped across central London on Thursday, killing more than 50 people and injuring 700.

In what appears to have been a co-ordinated attack, there were blasts on three Underground trains and a bus, as the morning's rush hour drew to a close.

The capital's public transport system was halted and a high-level emergency procedure swung into action. All hospitals were full by mid-morning.

The first explosion happened on an Underground train just outside the busy Liverpool Street station.

Further blasts hit a train heading from Russell Square station to King's Cross and another at Edgware Road station.

The final explosion was on a double-decker bus.







Liverpool Street
08:51
Emergency services were first called after an explosion on a Tube train 100 metres (100 yards) from Liverpool Street station.

London Underground later confirmed the blast was on a Circle line train travelling from Aldgate station to Liverpool Street.

Police said on Friday that the device was placed on the floor of the third carriage.

Passenger Simon Tonkyn told of an "enormous bang and a lot of smoke". He added: "A group of us got fire extinguishers and were able to smash through the carriage door."

Another man, Terry O'Shea, said passengers were led down the track past the carriage where the explosion was. "We could see the roof was torn off it, and there were bodies on the track."

Passengers were rushed out of Liverpool Street station by police and Underground staff. Mobile phones stopped working, leaving people unable to contact relatives and friends.

City of London police say that seven people have died in the blast. More than 100 have been wounded, at least 10 seriously.






Russell Square - King's Cross
08:56
The second explosion was on the Piccadilly line on a Tube train travelling between Russell Square and King's Cross.

The device was in the first carriage by the first set of double doors where passengers stand, police said on Friday.

Officers described the scene as very difficult and many bodies are still inside the carriage at midday on Friday.

The Piccadilly line is very deep and police have withdrawn from the carriage while the roof is shored up.

BBC News reporter Jacqui Head, who was on the train, told of a "massive bang" and added: "There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was very hot and everybody panicked. People started screaming and crying."

Another passenger, Chris Fry, said that people smashed windows to get out of their carriage and started walking down the side of the train.

Twenty-one people were confirmed dead on Thursday but police expect that figure to rise.

Anna Pacey, a nurse treating people at Russell Square, said the first people who emerged were "walking wounded" but she later saw people with more serious injuries - burns, broken bones and some who had lost limbs.








Edgware Road
09:17
The third blast was on a Circle line Underground train, just leaving Edgware Road station for Paddington.

Police said on Friday that the device was on the floor of the first carriage, close to the first set of double doors.

After the blast passengers began emerging from the underground station, many covered in blood and clearly distraught. Paramedics went inside, prompting fears there may still be injured people trapped underground.

A woman passenger told the BBC there was a huge bang as two trains passed in a tunnel just outside Edgware Road. "All the lights went out and there was a lot of smoke."

It later emerged that the explosion on the train blew through a wall and hit another train - or possibly two - on an adjoining platform.

Police have confirmed that seven people are dead.









Tavistock Square/ Upper Woburn Place
09:47
A blast ripped through a double-decker bus outside the British Medical Association. The bus's roof was torn off and nearby cars were also damaged.

Two people were later confirmed dead and it is feared the number may still rise.

One eyewitness described the bus as ripped to shreds - the result "carnage".

"It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air", said another.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said the bus was a number 30, travelling from Hackney to Marble Arch. It was following a diversion from its normal route.

Police said on Friday the device could have been placed on a seat or the floor. They said there was no evidence to suggest it was carried on by a suicide bomber but they could not rule it out.











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