Terror bombs rock London
Blasts tore through packed underground trains and a bus, killing 37 people, reports Vijay Dutt.
Blasts tore through packed underground trains and a bus during London's rush hour on Thursday, killing 37 people and disrupting a summit of world leaders in the deadliest-ever peacetime attack on the Capital.
Around 700 people were wounded. Markets plummeted before partially recovering and Prime Minister Tony Blair rushed to London from the Group of Eight summit in Scotland after branding the attacks "barbaric". He was due to return later.
However, unofficial figures put the toll at 40.
Coordinated terror attack
Police have not commented but experts say there has been a coordinated terrorist attack with the intent to cause maximum chaos and panic in London.
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A source at the Metronet consortium that runs part of the Capital's underground network said "there were three explosions and there have been some fatalities".
Blair condemns
"It's reasonably clear that this is a series of terrorist attacks," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said after at least seven blasts rocked London's transport system.
"There are obviously casualties, people who have died and people who are seriously injured," he said, adding that he was cutting short his stay at the G8 summit to fly back to London.
"It's chaos, with people trying to work out what has happened," said a British Transport Police spokesman. One witness said the packed underground train he was on was 200 metres from King's Cross when there was a huge flash.
Eyewitness account
Clare Benson, 33, a city banker from Kensington, was on a tube at Edware Road where the second incident took place. "I was in the last carriage at the back of the train nearest the tunnel when I heard a huge bang - you could feel it," she said.
London's police chief Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said at least one of the sites of a series of blasts contained "indications of explosives."
"We are concerned that this is a coordinated attack," he said. Two people were killed in an explosion on the underground line near the Aldgate station, a police spokesman said.
The blasts had caused "terrible injuries", British Home Secretary Charles Clarke said, although he did not give specific figures. The attacks triggered immediate global security fears, and London and Paris stock markets began to tumble.
America jittery
Washington, still jittery after the September 2001 attacks on the United States by the Al-Qaeda terror network, immediately boosted security on its Metro train system.
France, which lost out to Britain in the bid to host the 2012 Olympics, also raised its anti-terror alert to red, the second highest rating.
"This is a drama for Great Britain, for all of Europe, which was already struck in Madrid in March 2004," French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said, referring to the attacks on train stations in the Spanish capital in which 191 people were killed.
Chaos on streets
In London, thousands of people poured into the streets from underground stations, some covered in blood and soot, some in tears, many visibly shocked.
"There was a loud bang and the train ground to a halt. People started panicking, screaming and crying as smoke came into the carriage," said Arash Kazerouni, 22, who had been travelling from Liverpool Street which serves the main financial district.
"A man told everyone to be calm and we were led to safety along the track." The roof of a double decker bus in central Russell Square was also torn off by the force of one blast.
"The explosion seemed to be at the back of the bus. The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres. It then floated back down," said witness Raj Mattoo.
"There were obviously people badly injured. A parking attendant said he thought a piece of human flesh had landed on his arm."
Transport system crippled
London Underground officials confirmed the entire underground and bus network had been suspended after they were called to incidents in Edgware Road, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Russell Square, Aldgate East and Moorgate stations, most of which serve London's financial district.
Ripples at G8
The blasts came amid Britain's biggest ever security operation to protect the three-day G8 summit hosted by Blair in Gleneagles, Scotland some 720 kilometres north of London.
The Gleneagles Hotel has been sealed off by an eight-kilometer no-fly zone and protected by 10,000 police, a tethered blimp with infrared cameras, and makeshift lookout posts.
Despite the hugh operation, anti-capitalist protestors have scuffled with police almost daily since Saturday with scores already arrested.
Four critically injured patients were being treated at St Mary's Hospital, a major hospital in central London, a spokeswoman said.
It had also admitted eight people who had been seriously hurt and 14 with minor injuries. The serious wounds included lacerations and smoke inhalation.
"We are still taking more patients in but we cannot say how many more," the spokeswoman said.
One of the evacuated stations was Stratford, which will be a key transport link for the site of the Olympic Games.
"The area is solid with people and I have seen many commuters with blackened faces just walking around looking stunned," said commuter Gerard Bithell.
Market tumbles
London's stock market tumbled as Blair confirmed that the capital had been hit by terror attacks, while the Paris stock market fell by 3.15 per cent.
Meanwhile, in Singapore, the chief executive of London's victorious 2012 Games bid, Keith Mills, said Olympic celebrations would be put on hold.
"It's terribly unfortunate in terms of timing and clearly all our celebrations of the result yesterday will have to be put on hold," Mills said.