Dozens of people have been injured after an explosion on a rush-hour train in south-west London, which police are describing as a terrorist incident. Armed police rushed to Parsons Green station and more people were injured as they escaped from the train and the station in panic.
The police said in a statement: “Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command are investigating after an incident on a London tube train this morning. Police were called at approximately 08:20hrs on Friday, 15 September to Parsons Green Underground Station following reports of a fire on the train.”
Images circulated on social media showing commuters with burnt faces. Other images purported to show the source of the explosion, a plastic pot in a supermarket bag. The surrounding carriage does not appear to be damaged.
The explosion took place at 8:20 at the height of the London rush hour and the carriage would have been packed as it transported commuters from Wimbledon to central London. It took place on a section of the District Line of the London underground which runs overland. Parsons Green Station is elevated from ground level.
A witness told the Guardian: “Suddenly there was panic, lots of people shouting, screaming, lots of screaming,” he said. “There was a woman on the platform who said she had seen a bag, a flash and a bang, so obviously something had gone off.”
He added: “I saw crying women, there was lots of shouting and screaming, there was a bit of a crush on the stairs going down to the streets. Some people got pushed over and trampled on. I saw two women being treated by ambulance crews.”
