London terror attack: IED blast rips through underground tube, scores suffer burn injuries

A blast on a London underground train left many passengers with facial burns. The incident is now being treated as a terror attack

Armed police officers walk through a carriage of a London underground tube train at Parsons Green station in London, Britain (Reuters photo)

London: Several passengers were 'badly burned' following an explosion on a London Underground train at Parsons Green station in West London on Friday morning.

The incident is now being treated as a terror attack. “London train incident being treated as `terrorism`,” said the UK police.

The police said they are aware of an incident at Parsons Green station in West London and that officers are in attendance.

The British Transport Police tweeted, "We're aware of an incident at #ParsonsGreen station. Officers are at the scene. The station is closed. More information as we get it."

Meanwhile, the London Ambulance tweeted: 

We have a number of resources on scene at #ParsonsGreen including @LAS_HART. More information will follow https://t.co/TciNtAa8dO pic.twitter.com/ZUWpHz7CTn

— London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) September 15, 2017

Twitter handle Rigs tweeted: ‘Explosion on Parsons Green district line train. Fireball flew down carriage and we just jumped out open door.’ 

The alleged device in London metro, number of casualties is unknown pic.twitter.com/UBNqbhGWkX

— Guy Elster (@guyelster) September 15, 2017

A severe threat alert has been sounded off in UK. 

The explosions took place inside a container. 

Injured passengers are being taken to hospitals via ambulances. 

Emergency services attending `incident` at London Underground station: authorities.

Twitter handle Rigs tweeted: ‘Explosion on Parsons Green district line train. Fireball flew down carriage and we just jumped out open door.’ 

Horrified witnesses on social media claim people are 'screaming and running off trains'.

Terrified commuters ran for their lives. A photograph of the flaming white bucket taken just after it exploded shows a number of wires protruding out of the top and on to the train carriage floor - but police have not yet confirmed if it was a bomb.

A Reuters witness could see six ambulances, fire engines and a helicopter at Parsons Green station in West London where the Metro newspaper reported that passengers had suffered facial burns from a blast and others had been hurt in a subsequent stampede.

Outside the station, a woman was sitting on a pavement with a bandage around her leg while armed police patrolled. A Reuters witness saw a woman being carried off on a stretcher with her legs covered in a foil blanket.

Exspostion in #ParsonsGreen  People been injured  pic.twitter.com/0x1rnqKHPo

— OfficialRossi (@RossiOfficial1) September 15, 2017

London Ambulance and Fire Brigade said paramedics and firefighters were present.

Transport for London said on Twitter that there was no service between Earls Court and Wimbledon on the District Line which runs through Parsons Green.

Britain has already suffered four attacks blamed on terrorists so far this year which killed 36 people.

Over 12 years ago, on 7 July 2005, four suicide bombers with rucksacks full of explosives attacked central London, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds more. At the time, it was the worst single terrorist atrocity on British soil.  

Here's metro train running status: https://tfl.gov.uk/tube-dlr-overground/status/

With AFP and Reuters input