Explosions struck London’s transport system on Thursday, shutting down three underground train stations and blowing out the windows of a double-decker bus, authorities said, two weeks after four deadly suicide bombings.
Only one casualty was reported initially in a confusing series of incidents that bore similarities to the July 7 attacks, when four suicide bombers killed 52 people and themselves on three underground trains and a bus.
Metropolitan police Commissioner Ian Blair said there were four attempted explosions, and witnesses said they had heard reports of one or more exploding rucksacks.
The explosions did not shut down the underground system, though three lines remained closed more than two hours after the incidents.
”We know that we have four explosions or attempts of explosions and it is still pretty unclear as to what has happened,” Blair told reporters outside police headquarters at New Scotland Yard.
”At the moment, the casualty numbers appear to be very low in the explosions … Clearly this is a very serious incident,” the police chief said.
”The bombs appear to be smaller than on the last occasion but we don’t know the implications of all this yet and we’re going to have to examine the scene very carefully.”
Police investigating the explosions wore protective clothing to carry out searches at two subway stations but found ”no trace of chemical agents” at one of them, a police spokesperson said.
”As a precaution, officers have been deployed at Warren Street London underground station in full protective equipment in order to carry out an examination on the scene,” the spokesperson at Scotland Yard said.
She said police in similar gear had carried out an initial examination at Oval station in south London, but ”early indications show that there is no trace of chemical agents” at Oval station.
Stagecoach, the company that operates London’s double-decker buses, said the bus driver heard a bang and went upstairs, where he found the windows blown out. The company said the bus was structurally intact and it had no reports of injuries.
Closed-circuit television cameras on Hackney Road showed the bus immobilised at a stop with its indicator lights flashing. The area around the number-26 bus had been cordoned off and there was no traffic and no pedestrians. BBC and Sky TV reported that some of the bus windows had been blown out, but it was unclear what the source was.
In the video images, there appeared to be nobody on board or nearby and the streets appeared to have been cordoned off.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair cancelled his afternoon appointments as the developments unfolded.
Police said Warren Street, Shepherd’s Bush and Oval underground stations had been evacuated. Emergency services personnel were called to the stations.
Police also sent armed officers to investigate an ”incident” at University College Hospital.
”We deployed armed response officers to an incident that was occurring at University College Hospital,” a spokesperson said, referring to the major hospital in central London.
He was unable to confirm reports on Sky News about a man with a device attached to him and wires coming out seen in the area of the hospital.
‘People were panicking’
British transport police said one person had been hurt at Warren Street subway station, but did not know how serious the injury was.
One witness said he had been told by another subway passenger that a rucksack had exploded on a train.
”People were panicking. But very fortunately the train was only 15 seconds from the station,” witness Ivan McCracken told Sky news.
McCracken said another passenger had claimed he had seen a rucksack explode. The July 7 bombs in London were carried in rucksacks, police said.
Police cordoned off streets near Warren Street, and officers with sniffer dogs checked the area.
McCracken said he smelled smoke and that people were panicking and coming into his carriage. He said he spoke to an Italian man who was comforting a woman after the evacuation.
”He said that a man was carrying a rucksack and the rucksack suddenly exploded. It was a minor explosion but enough to blow open the rucksack,” McCracken said. ”The man then made an exclamation as if something had gone wrong. At that point, everyone rushed from the carriage.”
Services on the Victoria, Northern and Hammersmith and City lines were suspended following reports of a number of incidents, London underground officials said.
”I was in the carriage and we smelt smoke — it was like something was burning,” said Losiane Mohellavi (35), who was evacuated at Warren Street.
”Everyone was panicked and people were screaming. We had to pull the alarm. I am still shaking,” said Mohellavi, who said he was on the way to a job interview.
He told The Associated Press he didn’t see smoke, but smelled something similar to an electrical fire. — Sapa-AP