Several fatalities were reported after multiple explosions
rocked central London on Thursday, bringing the entire underground
network to a standstill.
In central London, an explosion ripped through a bus just minutes
after an earlier blast rocked the underground.
"We are at Tavistock place and we have had a bus explode just
outside the building," said an official for the London Transport
Police, adding that his offices were close to Russell Square.
A second explosion was later heard at Tavistock Square.
Citing unconfirmed reports, LBC News radio said seven people were
killed in the blast at London's Aldgate underground station.
LBC News also said "a couple" of fatalities had been reported at
Edgeware Road station, but couldn't confirm the information.
London's entire underground railway network was suspended,
officials and rescue workers said.
Scotland Yard declared the emergency a "major incident".
The chaos came a day after the British capital was chosen to host
the 2012 Olympics.
Police evacuated several mainline railway and underground stations
after the first blast near Liverpool Street Station, which serves
London's financial district, and several separate incidents in the
west of the capital.
"We believe there was some sort of explosion. There are some
walking wounded at Aldgate," a police spokesman said, referring to
an underground station near Liverpool Street.
"We are not sure of the scale of the incident. Reports are still
coming in."
Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene to deal with the
confusion.
Witnesses on Sky television were quoted as saying people streamed
out of some of the stations covered in soot, some in tears, many
visibly shocked.
One of the evacuated stations was Stratford, which will be a key
transport link for the site of the Olympic Games.
Metronet, a company which maintains the subway infrastructure, had
earlier said the explosion was caused by a power surge.
