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Bombers Strike London at Rush Hour
An injured person is assisted outside the Edgware Road subway station, where at least seven were killed in the third bombing. "People are having problems with their hearing as a result of the blast and problems with their eyes which will go on for a while but will stabilize," a hospital official said.
(By Jane Mingay -- Associated Press)
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After the fourth explosion, all bus service was suspended in the city center and people were advised to stay home and avoid traveling. Police sealed off the four blast sites and investigators began examining the rubble. Police also cordoned off areas around Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Blair's Downing Street home and office.
Alastair Wilson, clinical director of the Royal London Hospital, said that 183 patients were admitted to the accident and emergency department and 123 had been discharged. Of those still in the facility, eight were critically injured, one of whom had arrived during a cardiac arrest. Six people were currently in the operating theater.
"The patients are suffering from injuries including blast injuries, limb injuries, inhalation injuries from smoke," he said. "People are having problems with their hearing as a result of the blast and problems with their eyes which will go on for a while but will stabilize. The closer people were to the blast, the more serious their injuries. I am sure there will be more fatalities from the scene."
By late morning, many streets were deserted and a restless silence descended on the city, shattered periodically by ambulance sirens or the whirring of police helicopters overhead. Afternoon rush hour was in full swing by 4 p.m., but without subways and buses, most workers had to walk.
In scenes reminiscent of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York, Londoners undid their ties, took off their jackets and consulted maps to find their way on foot through their own city.
Officials announced that parts of the Underground would remain closed Friday for repair work and investigation, while buses, above-ground commuter rail service and the rest of the subway would resume operation. Schools would be closed.
Charles Clarke, the cabinet secretary in charge of domestic security, urged Londoners to continue living as normally as possible. "The aim of the terrorists is to try and stop us leading our lives as we best can," Clarke told the BBC, "and I think our responsibility is to try and get on and live our lives as best we can."
News of the bombings led to a plunge in world financial markets, with European exchanges bearing the brunt of the damage, but they recovered steadily throughout the day.
Correspondent Ellen Knickmeyer and special correspondent Audrey Gillan contributed to this report.
