Major incident taking place in London Initially the incidents have been put down as due to a power surge but new and unconfirmed reports coming in indicate possible terrorist involvement. More information as it becomes available. Refresh your browser to ensure you are reading the latest version. UPDATED 10.30AM BST: UPDATED 11.00AM: * Almost certainly a major terrorist incident * Many casulaties reported * Mobile phone network outages reported due to overloading UPDATED 11.20AM: * All public transport systems have been closed : police say 'stay exactly where you are and don't call emergency services unless in a life threatening situation' UPDATED 12.05 UPDATED 12.12 UPDATED 12.30 UPDATED 12.45 UPDATED 12.50 UPDATED 13.10 UPDATED 14.30 UPDATED 15.30 UPDATED 17.30 The Metropolitan Police Service Casualty Bureau has now opened. Members of the public who are concerned about relatives or friends who may have been affected by today's incidents in London are asked to call us. We would also like to hear from people who were injured or involved in the events to let us know they are safe. This line should be used for this purpose only and NOT for general enquiries. The number to contact is 0870 1566344. If you are unable to get through straight away please be patient as demand is likely to be high. We would like to reassure the public that we are working hard to gain an accurate picture of the whereabouts of people believed to have been involved in the incidents. Anyone who has managed to get home is advised to contact their relatives and those who will be worried about them. This will help relieve the pressure on the casualty bureau. People are advised to stagger journeys home and to be prepared for long delays. For travel updates click here There follows an outline of this morning’s events: At 08.51 on 7 July at Liverpool Street Station there was a confirmed explosion in a carriage 100 yards into the (Liverpool Street-bound station) tunnel. At 08.56 there was another incident at King’s Cross / Russell Square. Both stations were used to bring out casualties. Walking wounded came up from the line at King’s Cross. There were seven confirmed fatalities, 10 seriously injured people and 100 walking wounded in this incident. All those who were injured have now been treated, and at 12.30 the London Ambulance Service withdrew from Russell Square. Two mortuaries are being set up - these are at the Royal National Hotel and the Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury. There are 21 confirmed fatalities and others with injuries from these two incidents. At 09.17 there was an explosion on a train coming into Edgware Road underground station approximately 100 yards into the tunnel. The explosion took place on a train and blew through a wall onto another train on an adjoining platform. There were five fatalities and others injured in this incident. Three trains are believed to have been involved. At 09.47 there was an explosion on a bus at Upper Woburn Square junction with Tavistock Place. There are fatalities on the bus but it is not known how many. We estimate many casualties. There were four devices in total and there are 33 confirmed fatalities. There was no warning to police and we have not received any claims of responsibility. These were callous attacks on innocent members of the public deliberately designed to kill and inflict maximum injury. METROPOLITAN POLICE STATEMENT: 1) Russell Square and King’s Cross underground The emergency services are working together in a co-ordinated response and liaising with hospitals to rescue those injured. The London Underground system has been suspended however the Network Rail system is still in operation. We would urge anyone who doesn’t need to come into London today not to do so. If you are already in London wherever possible please limit travelling around the capital. The Met continues to respond to 999 emergency calls but non-emergency calls will have a seriously delayed response. We cannot at this stage confirm the number of those injured, though casualties are multiple. There are believed fatalities but again numbers are not confirmed.We are also asking members of the public not to contact police at this stage unless it is a genuine emergency. We will be issuing a telephone number shortly for Casualty Bureau. METROPOLITAN POLICE STATEMENT: Statement from CommissionerThere have been at least six explosions in London this morning. We are advising members of the public not to travel into London. Public We are also asking members of the public not to contact police at this stage We are co-ordinating the other emergency services in responding to this We will be issuing a telephone number shortly for worried relatives. It is too early to confirm the numbers of casualties at this stage. We hope to have the situation under control very soon. M15 STATEMENT EXPLOSIONS IN CENTRAL LONDON A series of explosions took place in central London on Thursday 7 July. Home Secretary Charles Clarke has confirmed that the blasts caused "terrible casualties". It is too early to confirm the cause of the attacks, but the nature of the incident points to a pre-meditated act of terrorism. The Government will keep the public updated as further information becomes available. INITIAL METROPOLITAN POLICE STATEMENT: Major Transport Incident
At approx 08:50 on 7.7.05 we were called to Aldgate LT stn to assist the City of London police and BTP regarding an incident on the underground system. All of the emergency services are on scene. This has been declared as a major incident. Too early to state what has happened at this stage. There have been further reports from multiple locations in London of explosions. It is too early to say what has caused these explosions. Police are responding to reports from: Edgware Rd Furthermore there has been a confirmed explosion on a bus in Tavistock Place. The MPS, BTP, City of London Police are working together to ensure officers are deployed to each scene. There have been reports of numerous casualties but it is too early to say numbers at this stage.
•Date: 7th July 2005 • Region: UK • Type:
Article •Topic:
BC general |
