Chaos on the London Underground as District Line is shut down and police confirm Parsons Green explosion was terror attack
- Chaos on the London Underground after explosion on a packed commuter train
- Tube services currently suspended between Edgware Road and Wimbledon
- Parsons Green station in west London closed with public urged to avoid area
- Counter terror police have confirmed Parson’s Green bombing was terror attack
There is chaos on the London Underground after an explosion sent a fireball cascading through a packed commuter train this morning.
Transport for London said Tube services are suspended between Earls Court and Wimbledon.
Parsons Green station in west London remains closed with members of the public being urged to avoid area after a device exploded on the rush hour train.
Police have confirmed they are treating it as a terror-related incident.
Flames engulfed one carriage and raced along a train on a west London route to Parsons Green, forcing passengers to trample others as they rushed for an exit
Witnesses say people ran away from the scene with ‘blood on their face’
Horrified witnesses on social media claim there was a stampede as people were ‘screaming and running off trains’
There was a stampede as a ‘fireball flew down the carriage’, leaving several passengers with serious facial burns on the packed rush hour train in Parsons Green, west London at 8.20am.
The doors opened on the District Line train and the commuters, many of them with scorched faces and hair, ran off screaming.
Transport for London said it was ‘investigating an incident at Parsons Green’ and urged customers travelling between Wimbledon and Earls Court to use alternative routes.
There is no service on the District Line from Earls Court to Wimbledon, with severe delays from Earls Court to Edgware Road.
TfL says there are also minor delays from Ealing Broadway to Turnham Green.
London Buses, South Western and London Overground are accepting London Underground tickets via any reasonable route.
The train remains on the tracks at Parsons Green this afternoon, as the police investigation continues.
TfL said passengers are being urged to avoid Earls Court, adding it remains unclear when the line will re-open with delays expected into the evening.
Passengers ran onto the rail tracks to get away from the train as a fireball engulfed the carriage
Armed Police, paramedics and firefighters were all said to be at the west London station within five minutes of the explosion
A photograph of the flaming white bucket taken just after it exploded around 8.20am shows a number of wires protruding out of the top and on to the train carriage floor
Nigel Holness, London Underground’s director of network operations, said: ‘Our staff have worked to assist the emer-gency services and to ensure the safety of our customers during this morning’s incident at Parsons Green.
‘We are focussed on assisting the police investigation into what happened and providing support for our customers and staff.
‘Our Sarah Hope Line is available to offer help and support to anyone affected by this morning’s incident.’
Officers said the incident is ongoing, as police helicopters hover ahead where the suspect is still on the loose.
Counter terror police confirmed this morning the incident at Parson’s Green is being treated as a terror attack.
A police officer told MailOnline: ‘We believe there is a second bomb, people need to stay back there is a man with knives on the loose.’