Parsons Green London 'bomb': Terror probe after rush hour explosion on Tube

Francesca Gillett|Ross Lydall @RossLydall

15 September 2017

An "explosion" on a packed Tube train left 22 people injured during the morning rush hour.

Commuters fled in terror after hearing an explosion and feeling a "heatwave" and "shot of flames" move through a carriage on board a District line train.

Panicked witnesses described being “horrified and shaken” after the incident at Parsons Green station at 8.20am on Friday.

The Met Police have subsequently confirmed a counter-terror investigation has been launched. The ambulance service took 19 people to hospital and three others arrived for treatment.

The ambulance service said it is currently assessing “the level and nature of injuries”. Armed police and 50 firefighters are at the station.

Flames coming from the apparent cause of the explosion, a bucket wrapped in a Lidl carrier bag.

@RRigs

One passenger told the Standard she saw a lady who appeared to have been burnt and a man with "a wound on his head". Another witness said they have "never been so scared in my life".

All trains are suspended between Earl's Court and Wimbledon as emergency services deal with the incident.

Parsons Green explosion incident on the Tube - In pictures

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A photo allegedly from the scene shows what looks like a smouldering bucket on the train floor. It is wrapped in a Lidl bag and appears to have flames coming from it.

Daniel Holden, who was on the train at the time, said: “The train had just opened its doors at Parsons Green.

Police with a woman after the incident at Parsons Green

Metro

“Then there was a loud bang, heatwave and fire burst. Everybody scrambled forwards and off the train.

“The stairs at the station delayed people getting out. All emergency services are here now.”

50 fire engines and armed police flooded to the station.

Richard Aylmer-Hall/PA

Michael Bennett, 38, told the Standard: “I was towards the front of the rear carriage. As the train pulled into the platform there was a huge noise. I wasn’t facing it at the time. I just heard a big noise and saw a shot of flames come past. I could feel it singe the back of my head.

“In all honesty, at that point the door was open and I just ran out onto the platform. At Parsons Green there is just one staircase down. There was a mass of people. I didn’t see any staff on the platform. When I got on the platform it just came to a complete standstill. It was clear that some people had fallen on the stairs in the rush and were being stood on and crushed.

The scene of chaos outside the station on Friday morning.

Richard Aylmer-Hall/PA

“There was probably five or six minutes when no-one was really moving and everyone was piling off the Tube and nobody was able to get down the stairs. There were quite a few people on the platform in tears and shocked. There were people saying there had been an explosion in a ‘bag for life’.

“I saw a woman in her sixties with quite long hair being helped on the platform. Her hair had been burned and she was being helped out. There were people still on the front of the train sticking their heads out wondering what had happened.

Armed policemen stand by cordon outside Parsons Green station as police urge people to avoid the area.

REUTERS

“There was panic, and I would include myself in that. I was thinking ‘secondary explosion’ all the time. There was nowhere to go. I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

“It was standing-room only [on the Tube]. I got on at Southfields and normally at Parsons Green it is one off, one on.”

An injured woman reacts outside Parsons Green Tube station. (REUTERS)

Reuters

Robyn Frost, who narrowly missed the suspected attack, said she saw a woman on the pavement “hysterically crying” with blood around her.

She said: “Everyone started running and screaming.

“It felt like every person for themselves - everyone trying to get out as fast as they could. I saw a few people covered in debris. But everyone's generally just shocked and crying.”

Firefighters storm the platform following the incident.

Metro

Another passenger, called Vania, told the Standard: “I luckily was in the front carriage.

“As we stopped at Parsons Green we saw all the people running in panic. I've been told that a bag exploded at the back of the carriage.”

She added: “Some people got really hurt.

Parson's Green: Emergency services outside the station.

Cllr Daniel Holden

"I know someone got hurt in the moment of panic and I saw a couple of people quite injured, probably they were near the explosion.

"I saw a lady who seemed kind of burnt - just reddish, not properly burnt - and a man with what looked like a wound on his head. Lots of people were in panic."

Six fire engines, one fire rescue unit and a command unit are still at the scene.

Passenger Peter Crowley shared a photo of his "charred head" following the "fireball" at the station.

Peter Crowley

“There was panic, and I would include myself in that. I was thinking ‘secondary explosion’ all the time. There was nowhere to go. I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

“It was standing-room only [on the Tube]. I got on at Southfields and normally at Parsons Green it is one off, one on.”

British Transport Police said an incident is ongoing and its officers are currently at the station. They reiterated the Met's plea to avoid the area as they urged people to remain vigilant to any suspicous behaviour.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he is in contact with the emergency services and told people to look out for advice and updates from the Met.

Natasha Wills, assistant director of operations at London Ambulance Service, said: “We were called at 8.20am to reports of an incident at Parsons Green underground station.

“We have sent multiple resources to the scene including single responders in cars, ambulance crews, including response officers and our hazardous area response team, with the first of our medics arriving in under five minutes.