London bombings toll rises to 38

[Peter (TheSpider)]

Hiya y'all,

(originally sent a few minutes ago to my own newsgroup, but wanted to post 
it here also)

Not long gotten home from work, when I turned on my PC and started checking 
my email. Whilst looking in my PureAmiga mailing list folder I saw the 
header "London Bombing" and wondered what was being posted.
To my shock and horror, I found that London indeed had been bombed and the 
death total is now upto 38.

Taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4661059.stm :

---------------------------------------------------------------------

A series of bomb attacks on London's transport network has killed more than 
30 people and injured about 700 others.

Three explosions on the Underground left 35 dead, two died in a blast on a 
bus and another died later in hospital.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the bombings had "the hallmarks of an 
al-Qaeda-related attack".

Prime Minister Tony Blair promised the "most intense police and security 
service action to make sure we bring those responsible to justice".

Mr Blair, who had returned to London from the G8 summit in Gleneagles, 
condemned the terrorists and paid tribute to the stoicism and resilience of 
the people of London.

"They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to 
frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do," he said in a 
televised statement from Downing Street.

They "should not and they must not succeed," he said.

"We know that these people act in the name of Islam but we also know that 
the vast and overwhelming majority of Muslims here and abroad are decent and 
law-abiding people who abhor those who do this every bit as much as we do," 
he added.

The Queen, who will visit some of those involved in the tragedy on Friday, 
said she was "deeply shocked" and sent her sympathy to those affected. The 
union jack flag was flying at half mast over Buckingham Palace.

Further details of the Queen's visit will be announced on Friday morning.

US President George Bush told reporters at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles "the 
war on terror goes on."

Hundreds of thousands of commuters faced difficult journeys home from London 
on Thursday night after a day of travel chaos.

Many opted to walk while some booked into hotels.

By late afternoon, major routes out of London, including the M25 and M4, 
were jammed and motorists have been urged not to drive into the centre as 
many roads are shut.

All London Underground services have been suspended until at least Friday.

Bus services have resumed in central London (Zone One) with diversions in 
affected areas. Most mainline train stations are open.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick confirmed 35 
people had died in the blasts on the Underground.

He said there were 21 confirmed fatalities following the blast at 0856 BST 
on a Piccadilly Line train in a tunnel between King's Cross and Russell 
Square.

There were seven confirmed deaths after a blast at 0851 BST 100 yards into a 
tunnel from Liverpool Street station. The train involved was a Circle Line 
train.

And at 0917 BST an explosion on another Circle Line train coming into 
Edgware Road underground station blew a hole through a wall onto another 
train at an adjoining platform.

Three trains were thought to be involved and there were seven confirmed 
deaths so far, Mr Paddick said.

He said two had died in the bus blast at 0947 at the junction of Upper 
Woburn Place and Tavistock Square.

There were also 700 people injured, Mr Paddick said.

London Ambulance Service said it had treated 45 patients with serious or 
critical injuries including burns, amputations, chest and blast injuries and 
fractured limbs.

In other developments:

* The police set up a casualty bureau number on 0870 1566344

* The officer in charge of policing the G8 summit said many of the 1,500 
Metropolitan Police officers in Scotland would be urgently redeployed to 
London

* Celebrations to mark the homecoming from Singapore of the successful 
London Olympic bid team were cancelled

* 54 state schools were closed in Westminster

* Mobile phone services across London were jammed with all major networks 
reporting problems as people tried to contact relatives and friends. A 
spokeswoman for Vodafone said the emergency services were being given 
priority.

Mr Paddick confirmed police were looking into whether the bus blast was the 
work of a suicide bomber.

But, he added: "It could as easily be an explosive device left on the bus as 
the work of a suicide bomber. We are not able to determine which it was 
yet."

He said no warning had been given before the blasts and that no-one had yet 
claimed to be behind them.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said he had been told by Whitehall 
sources that a "massive intelligence effort" was under way to find the 
perpetrators of the bombings.

He also said a previously unknown group calling itself the Secret 
Organisation Group of al-Qaeda of Jihad Organisation in Europe had claimed 
to be behind the attacks in a statement posted on an Islamist website.

The group's statement said the attacks were revenge for the "massacres" 
Britain was committing in Iraq and Afghanistan and that the country was now 
"burning with fear and panic", he added.

Early reports had suggested a power surge could be to blame for explosions 
on the Underground but this was later discounted.

Blast timeline
0851 Seven people die in a blast on a train 100 yards from Liverpool Street 
station
0856 21 people die in a blast on a train between Russell Square and King's 
Cross stations
0917 Seven people die in blast on a train at Edgware Road station
0947 Two people die in a blast on a number 30 bus at Tavistock Place

"They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to 
frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do"
Tony Blair

Blasts occurred:
Between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street tube stations
Between Russell Square and King's Cross tube stations
At Edgware Road tube station
On bus at Tavistock Square

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Lord, my heart goes out to the families of those who lost friends, loved 
ones, and collegues in this cowardly attack. I pray that you shall guide the 
police and security forces to find and bring to justice those that did this.
Pour your loving comfort over London please, and keep their resolve.
Be with those injured and help them through this terrible time.
Thank you our Heavenly Father & God for being our source of strength.
May goodness come out of darkness I pray.
Amen.

Just got a phone call from Arianna - she is ready to be picked up, so I 
better go do so.
Before I do, one thing that will help me is this... on the way home I 
received a copy of Pathenon Huxley's album titled "Purgatory Falls". It was 
written after his wife died, and deals with how he coped with the loss.
More details shall be found here: 
http://www.parthenonhuxley.com/store_cont_pfalls.html
Shall be playing this album on the way to Arianna's work.

Just like America was not shaken in 2001, Britain's resolve will hold strong 
also at this time.
-- 
Peter 'TheSpider' Paterson
A Scotsman in Kentucky
Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ
Homepage: http://thespider.ath.cx
Please visit: http://www.annexcafe.com