Casualties on London's underground after incident
MSN NEWSLONDON (Reuters) - People were seen streaming out of a London underground station covered with blood on Thursday following what police described as a "major incident".
Similar scenes were reported by witnesses outside other stations in the capital. The whole of the system was shut down and major thoroughfares were closed.
The cause of the incident, which occurred at rush-hour on the underground network, was as yet unknown.
"There have been some casualties and this has been declared as a major incident," said a spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police.
Emergency services rushed to the Aldgate East underground station where police reported one incident at 8:59 a.m. local time (0759 GMT).
Witnesses said passengers were seen emerging from the station at Aldgate East with blood on their faces and their clothes ripped.
"There were people streaming out of Aldgate station covered in blood," said Kate Heywood, 27, on her way to work.
A Reuters correspondent at Oxford Circus station, at the heart of the underground system, heard an announcement over the public-address system saying: "A power outage has occurred London-wide. All train services are suspended."
A station official said: "All the power has gone down. I don't know when it'll come back."
BBC
Several injured in London blasts
Passengers were evacuated from King's Cross station
Several people have been injured after explosions on the Underground network and a double-decker bus in London.
A police spokesman said there were "quite a large number of casualties" at Aldgate Tube Station. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...thomson/L2.gif
And Scotland Yard confirmed one of several reports of explosions on buses in the city - in Tavistock Place - but said the cause was not yet known.
One caller to BBC Five said his friend had seen "the bus ripped open like a can of sardines and bodies everywhere."
PA also quoted union officials as saying sources had told them there had been at least one explosive device on the Underground.
British Transport Police Surges took place at Aldgate, Edgware Road, King's Cross, Old Street and Russell Square stations.
Scotland Yard confirmed they were assisting with a "major incident" and said there were casualties.
A spokesman said officers were called out to Aldgate station at 8.50am to assist City of London and British Transport Police.
"All of the emergency services are on scene. There have been some casualties. This has been declared as a major incident," said the spokesman. "It's too early to state what has happened at this stage," he said.
The National Grid, which supplies power to the Underground, said there had been no problems with its system which could have contributed to the incidents.
'Screaming and crying'
Jacqui Head, from BBC News, who had just left King's Cross station on a Piccadilly Line train as an explosion happened, said: "Everything was normal. Suddenly there was a massive bang, the train jolted.
"There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked. People started screaming and crying."
The train was kept in the tunnel for 20 minutes and no announcement was made to explain the delay to passengers, she added.
London Fire Brigade said four crews were at Liverpool Street and more were on their way.
Another passenger, who had left the Tube at Fenchurch Street Station, and walked to Aldgate East, told BBC Five Live that he saw injured people.
"As I walked through the bus station I could see people lying on the ground, black, as if they'd been covered in smoke. There were about three or four people on the floor being treated."
Eyewitness Paul Woloszyn from BBC News, who was at Blackhorse Road station on the Victoria Line, said: "We were told there was a bomb at Liverpool Street station.
"I was on the Tube, and they stopped the train and told everyone to get off and evacuate the station."
He said staff had said the entire Tube network had been affected, and leaflets had been handed out with details of alternative bus routes.
Another eyewitness, Dorothy Molloy, had been on a Tube train at King's Cross and said "staff just chucked everyone out of the station".
She said staff there had not given any details, but she said two passengers she had spoken to had said they had received messages saying there had been bombs.
"People didn't really know what was going on, they were just huffing and puffing and saying how annoying it was," she said.
"People don't seem to be panicked, but there's so many police and ambulances coming into the areas. People are just concerned, and some are just annoyed at the delay."
If anyone you new or friends or family was in there I hope there ok
