10.45pm update
38 dead in London blasts

Sarah Left, Mark Oliver and agencies
Thursday July 7, 2005

A series of explosions ripped through London today as suspected terrorist attacks on tube trains and a bus killed at least 38 people, plunging the capital into chaos.

The Metropolitan police confirmed 35 deaths in the three tube blasts, and two further fatalities on a double-decker bus gutted by a bomb. Another person died later in hospital. The London ambulance service said it had treated 45 people with serious or critical injuries, including burns and amputations, and another 300 people with minor injuries. London hospitals reported treating hundreds of wounded. Police said the overall number of wounded was as high as 700.

Police also said no one remained trapped on tube trains, and that there was no intelligence that any further bombs were on the network.

The death toll could be at least 50, according to the French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who was quoting a conversation he had held with the home secretary, Charles Clarke.

"I've spoken to the British interior minister twice today... He told me that the provisional toll was 50 dead, 300 wounded, including 50 very seriously," Mr Sarkozy said on France 2 television.

Tony Blair said it was "reasonably clear" that the blasts were the work of terrorists, and added that it was "particularly barbaric" that attacks had been timed to coincide with the start of the G8 summit. The prime minister left the summit venue, Gleneagles, in Scotland, to return to London.

With Mr Blair in the capital, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, took on the chairmanship of the G8, which is meeting for its annual summit to discuss climate change and development issues.

Mr Straw said today's blasts, which bore some similarities to the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, had the "hallmarks of an al-Qaida related attack".

He said neither the police nor the intelligence services had been given any warning of the attacks.

Mr Blair returned to Gleneagles tonight, touching down in his helicopter at 9pm BST, to rejoin the other seven G8 leaders.

Earlier in the day he lined up with them to condemn the London bombs as "barbaric attacks".

"All of our countries have suffered from terrorism ... We are united in our resolve to confront and defeat this terrorism that is not an attack on one nation but on all nations and on civilised society everywhere," he said.

He insisted the G8 leaders would continue their discussions and would not allow the terrorists to halt a summit aimed at helping the world's poorest people.

After arriving in London he said that the "most intense police and security service action" was ongoing "to make sure we bring those responsible to justice".

Mr Blair indicated he believed those responsible were Islamist terrorists. They "act in the name of Islam" but most Muslims worldwide "deplore this act of terrorism", he said.

The police refused to speculate on who had carried out the attacks, but said they had received neither a warning nor a claim of responsibility. BBC Monitoring said it had found a website carrying a brief statement in which an al-Qaida-related organisation claimed responsibility for today's blasts.

London Underground said the whole of its system would remain shut down today, although service would be resumed on the Docklands Light Railway. Transport for London said central London buses would start running again over the course of the afternoon. Tim O'Toole of London Underground said he aimed to have the tube back in service tomorrow, though services on some lines would be severely restricted.

The police said the first blast occurred at 8.51am on a tube train about 100 metres into a tunnel from Liverpool Street station. Seven people died. The second blast, with the highest confirmed death toll so far, came five minutes later on a tube train on the Piccadilly line near King's Cross. Police confirmed 21 deaths.

At 9.15am, a third explosion hit a train in Edgware Road station, blowing a hole through the wall of a second train and possibly affecting a third. The explosion killed seven people.

The final blast came half an hour later on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Square, near Russell Square.

Police said there were "many casualties" and confirmed two fatalities. The blast ripped the red double-decker bus apart, peeling away its sides, blowing off the roof and leaving the few remaining seats exposed.

Amid the confusion, early reports spoke of seven attacks, as incidents were reported by those in stations at both ends of the affected track. The first reports blamed power problems on the tube but it soon became clear the capital had been targeted by what the Metropolitan police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, called terrible "co-ordinated attacks".

Scotland Yard set up a casualty bureau for people to call if they were worried about loved ones. The number is 0870 1566 344.

Hospitals deal with horrific injuries

The Royal London hospital said it had treated 208 people, including 10 with critical injuries. The Royal Free hospital treated 55 people, and University College hospital treated another 50.

St Mary's hospital, in Paddington near Edgware Road, said later it had received 36 casualties, of whom six were critically injured, 17 seriously injured and 13 had minor injuries. Julian Nettle, of St Mary's hospital, said that staff were dealing with injuries such as the loss of limbs and head wounds, as well minor injuries, including temporary hearing loss.

Emergency services treated survivors outside tube stations; there were walking wounded covered in blood and soot. Survivors described seeing bodies in the wreckage.

'There were loads of people screaming'

Belinda Seabrook said she saw the explosion rip though the double-decker bus as it approached Tavistock Square, between Euston and Russell Square stations. "I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang. I turned round and half the double-decker bus was in the air," she said.

Police would not comment on whether the bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber.

Simon Corvett, 26, from Oxford, was on the eastbound train leaving Edgware Road tube station when the explosion on that train happened. "All of a sudden there was this huge bang. It was absolutely deafening and all the windows shattered. The glass did not actually fall out of the windows, it just cracked. The train came to a grinding halt and everyone fell off their seats," he said.

Mr Corvett, who works in public relations, said the commuter train was absolutely packed. He said: "There were just loads of people screaming and the carriages filled with smoke. You couldn't really breathe and you couldn't see what was happening. The driver came on the Tannoy and said: 'We have got a problem; don't panic.'"

Mr Corvett joined other passengers to force open the train doors with a fire extinguisher. He said the carriage on the other track was destroyed. "You could see the carriage opposite was completely gutted. There were some people in real trouble."

Public told to avoid London

The public were warned to stay clear of London for non-essential journeys. A Network Rail spokesman said southbound services into the capital were terminating at Watford, with no onward bus transfers, but services began to resume later in the day. The total shutdown of the Underground system is thought to be unprecedented.

Earlier the home secretary, Charles Clarke, had urged people to stay at home until further notice, telling them not to go into central London. Police asked people working in the centre of the capital to begin making their way home early to avoid the usual 5pm rush hour.

Wasn't there a thread on this earlier? WTF.

I'm sure bonerhead had something to do with it.

__________________
Enough about me, how are you doing?

No, actually he didn't. This is just the (hopefully) kinder, gentler version of the previous thread.

No he didnt.

I think the topic should not degenerate into a "whos at fault" debate at least for a few days.

Right now, we should all simply support the British and the idea that terrorism needs to be stopped without putting in opinions on how to stop it, for now anyways.

I only wish I had a British flag right now, it would be awesome if all Americans would be flying one for a day or two. Im gonna see if I can buy one tomorrow.

Dang, I never got to read the first thread. I guess somebody got naughty.

Anyway, I think this place has flags of all nations:

http://www.stickergiant.com

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

That's a great idea. I'm going to get one for my house. F**k the terrorists.

Does Britian still have the bury them with pigs policy? This could get very interesting when they do find the A-holes.

what would have happended if we had actually spent $100 billion in the persuit of terrosists rather than toplling saddam?

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'O=00=O'
bmw 2002.
long live the legend

$100,000,000,000 could roast quite a few terrorists if it was used judiciously.

Look at it this way:

If there are 10,000 terrorists out there, you would be able to spend

$10,000,000. on each one.

Think you could find 'em all for $10,000,000 apiece??

Wow, the finger pointing didn't start until the *8th* post!!!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

What's a terrosist??

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Nobody's pointing fingers or laying blame, rather he just posed a rhetorical question...a really cogent rhetorical question.

Call it what you will. Some of us know better.

EDIT: sorry, that was harsh. I just think it's anything but a "really cogent" anything. Cogent would imply that there is some reasoning to it. It's clearly proffered as a barb (note the "rolling eyes" emoticon)... to suggest otherwise is a little insulting. Smart-assed comments are not "cogent." If the author is so all-knowing, perhaps he can instead enlighten us with SOLUTIONS rather than barbs.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

What happen to the other post? Did it get deleted? What was being said that got Gilly mad? It was going rather civil before I left the house.

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

I bailed on the first one at the end of the work day and was just checking in to see where it stood, too. Guess someobody didn't like something about it (???). Looks like this one is off and running, though.

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)