Posted on 07/07/2005 1:45:13 AM PDT by RWR8189
There has been an explosion at Aldgate East underground station in London, causing the closure of the entire Tube network.
There are also reports that a second incident took place at Edgware Road station in north west London.
The Aldgate East blast was caused by "some kind of power surge", according to Tube infrastructure company Metronet, which is responsible for maintaining the Metropolitan line.
A spokesman said: "We don't know the extent of the problem yet."
A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: "We have just sent some resources out to the scene."
British Transport Police confirmed that there are "walking wounded" and said paramedics have responded to one report of a person classed as "life at risk".
"It's chaos, with people trying to work out what has happened," said a spokesman.
"All we know at the moment is that staff reported a loud bang at 8.49am. No one is sure what caused an explosion, but it is thought it could have been a collision, a power cut, or a power cable problem."
One witness said the packed underground train he was on was 200 metres from Kings Cross when there was a huge flash.
The train stopped and people were using umberellas to smash windows of the trains. Passengers were led out of the train by underground staff.
He added people were milling around Kings Cross covered in soot.
6 Blasts Rock London, Killing at Least Two
By JANE WARDELL
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 7, 2005; 7:20 AM
LONDON -- Half a dozen explosions rocked the London subway and tore open a packed double-decker bus during the morning rush hour Thursday. The blasts killed at least two people and injured scores in what a shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair said was a series of "barbaric" terrorist attacks.
Blair said it was clear the attacks were designed to coincide with the opening of the G-8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. The prime minister said the meeting of world leaders would continue but that he would return to London.
"Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world," Blair said a day after London was awarded the 2012 Olympics.
Bloodied and bandaged witnesses reported panicked crowds fleeing the blast sites. A witness at the bus explosion said the entire top deck of the bus was destroyed.
Sir Ian Blair, London's police chief, said he was concerned the explosions were a coordinated attack but said he wouldn't speculate on who was responsible. He said officials had found indications of explosives at one of the sites.
A senior Israeli official said Scotland Yard told Israel minutes before the explosions that it had received warnings of possible terror attacks.
One witness, Darren Hall, said some passengers emerging from an evacuated subway station had soot and blood on their faces. He told BBC TV that he was evacuated along with others near the major King's Cross station and only afterward heard a blast.
Police confirmed an explosion destroyed a double-decker bus at Russell Square in central London. Dow Jones Newswires reported that police said there were explosions on two other buses.
"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," Belinda Seabrook told Press Association, the British news agency.
She said the bus was packed with people. "It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air," she said.
Police said incidents were reported at the Aldgate station near the Liverpool Street railway terminal, Edgware Road and King's Cross in north London, Old Street in the financial district and Russell Square in central London, near the British Museum.
Bradley Anderson, a subway passenger, told Sky News that "there was some kind of explosion or something" as his train reached the Edgware Road station in northeast London.
"Everything went black and we collided into some kind of oncoming train," Anderson said.
Simon Corvett, 26, who was on an eastbound train from Edgware Road station, said: "All of sudden there was this massive huge bang."
"It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered," he said. "There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke.
"You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted," he said. "There were some people in real trouble."
London's cell phone network was working after the explosions but was overloaded and spotty, limiting communication.
The explosions sent stocks plummeting in Europe, with several of the major indexes down 3 percent.
Yes, I am sure that the blame America first crowd will be stepping up their rhetoric. But are the British joining in?
LONDON BUS ATTACKED BY SUICIDE BOMBER, SKY NEWS SAYS
Ewwweee. I hate to think the IRA might be involved with the Muslims.
8:46 AM local time.
CSPAN: they just read an ap report which confirms Israeli embassy received warning from Brit police minutes before attack; furthermore, one of the tube stations that was bombed is evidently located directly beneath the building where the Israeli economic conference is being held. Israeli embassy is on lockdown in London...
Thanks your prayers are appreciated.
Makes sense they would choose the 'cattle car' packed hour to do their deeds. The slime.
How can anyone witness this and think, "Gee, what did we do to make them mad? Maybe we should give them what they want."
I don't think that's right but will defer to others who have a better memory after 9/11.
I thought that AQ did claim responsibility and that jihadist web sites not only celebrated, but claimed responsibility.
8:46 am New York time.
Simple: Sky News in the UK is owned by News Corporation, the same company that owns Fox News Channel.
Brazil! We have more international correspondents than all of the MSM combined!
News Corp owns Sky News over in Britain so it seems easy for them to cut in when they get something interesting over there.
its not gonna work with us , wipe 'em out
It is only a matter of time before suicide bombers happen here in the states. Every single one of us needs to prepare for it because it will happen. Perhaps what has happened in London is already doing that. Prayers for our English friends.
8:49 - same time as the first bomb in London.
Yes, but it will probably be "See all the good we've done? We've just made them mad, and now they're killing our friends!"
What a way to start the day, huh?
Do you remember what that last warning from Bin Laden said?
They don't attack cowards. Chirac has nothing to fear.
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