Transcripts For BBCNEWS Victoria Derbyshire 20170915

Impact of social media on roles about fairness in court. We will discuss what this means and how it affects us. Vulnerable people in some parts of the country are being helped by charities funded by the police. Senior officers deny this is policing on the cheap and that it is a way of stopping resources being diverted away from fighting crime. We have a special report. Some breaking news, there are reports of an explosion at a London Underground station in south west london. We can show you this picture taken bya we can show you this picture taken by a commuter. The metro newspaper says people suffered facial burns after a white container exploded on the District Line at Parsons Green. Police and the London Ambulance service are currently at the scene. We will bring you up to date with the latest developments on the breaking story throughout the programme. People are posting photographs on social media, reporting a huge stampede at Parsons Green. Some photos have been circulating on social media of a white container catching fire on a carriage. Photographs of it have been posted. Armed police, we are just hearing, ron the scene. Somebody on social media, on twitter, has said, i am safe. I had to run for my life at Parsons Green station. Huge stampede, lots injured. Not sure why. Fire, explosion mentioned. We can cross to Sophie Raworth, who is on face time. What can you tell us . That is the scene now, this is Parsons Green tube station, which has been sealed off. Police, ambulance, and from what i have heard, from a passenger on board the train, she says she was in the early carriages of the train. There was an explosion, a bang, a pause, and then she said there were flames. A ball of flames. She says she believes she was protected from it by the people in front of her. But she said she saw people injured, she saw people with burns to their head. Then she describes the panic as everybody ran off the train. She says the doors opened as soon as it happened. She says there was complete panic as everybody rushed out of the station, crying, screaming and trying to get away from it. This is the scene as you can see, lots of and illnesses and fire injures, police everywhere. Fire engines. There are an awful lot of shocked and upset people here at the moment in west london. Obviously, a busy time of the morning, friday morning, this has happened in commuter rush hour. Do we have any sense yet of the scale of this incident and what has happened . At of this incident and what has happened . At the of this incident and what has happened . At the moment, all we are hearing is that it has been an incident which the police, armed police are there now, responding to. Absolutely. Im am sure you can see the armed police in the images i am showing you. I dont know the scale of it, i have arrived on the scene. It happened at 8 30 this morning. I spoke to somebody that came out of the station, he said he was going in to get the train, but there was a stampede of people coming out running away from the scene. I dont know how many have been injured, there were a lot of people in the tube station. It is a very busy line, 8 30 in the morning. It is a very busy time, indeed. A lot of people get on it. The train carriages are crammed at that time of the morning, it is rush hour. The lady who was on board was saying that there were a lot of people, and clearly, there have been people injured. Sophie, have you seen any of those people that have been injured . No, i havent seen anyone injured. But you can see there are ambulances leaving the scene. We have three ambulances leaving the scene already. The cheap station tube station, there is a bridge, and thatis tube station, there is a bridge, and that is the entrance. You can see the sign above the policemans head there. This whole area is absolutely crammed now with Emergency Services, fire engines, police and ambulances. Now the area has been cordoned off, people are moving away. Can you tell us more people are moving away. Can you tell us more about what the atmosphere is like theyre at the moment . We can see the pictures of ambulances and the police there at the moment where you are, but how far back as the area being extended, the cordoned . would say there is a good 0. 5 miles. You can see everybody trying to work out what is going on. I came up here because i was nearby, and there were a lot of people very worried about a mile away. The rumour had gone around that something had happened, soi around that something had happened, so i came up this way. I can see somebody now being stretchered off towards the ambulance here. Clearly, there have been people who have been injured. This is the sort of thing that people fear all the time, isnt it, millions of people get on the underground. I travel on the underground. I travel on the underground every day, and it is a lwa ys underground every day, and it is always in the back of your mind, this kind of thing. It appears that Something Like this has again happened. We are now able to show our viewers a photograph of the container, which we think is the container, which we think is the container that caught fire on the carriage where this incident took place. We are able to see that now, again. Bringing you this breaking news this morning, an incident on a District Line train at Parsons Green station. I am going to say, i couldnt show it for obvious reasons, but i havejust couldnt show it for obvious reasons, but i have just seen a woman stretchered off. Clearly, her legs are wrapped up, and she has burns to herface. She legs are wrapped up, and she has burns to her face. She was conscious, taking oxygen and pain relief as well. Clearly, people have sustained very nasty burns. She seemed to have burns all over her body, from top to toe, her legs wrapped up in some kind of protective plastic film. She definitely had ernst to her face as well. Very clearly, people have been injured. Can you tell us how many ambulances are there at the scene at the moment . Just counting, one, two. I cant see. The road is blocked off, they have blocked the other side as well. There must be ten or 12 ambulances. Move sorry. Other side as well. There must be ten or12 ambulances. Move sorry. A lot of armed police as well. Casualties being loaded into ambulances right now. I am just going to move back. A lot of people are here. There you go. You get the sense, sophie, that Emergency Services and more police are wrong the way . Move back, please do you get a sense that Emergency Services, additional Emergency Services and police are on the way . additional Emergency Services and police are on the way . I have no idea, iam police are on the way . I have no idea, i am afraid. There is a Police Helicopter up in the sky bright right now. There are a lot of police will stop by and clearing the area. The police say they have injured people coming through. I am going to make some space now. The Police Helicopter is up in the sky. On either side, half a helicopter is up in the sky. On eitherside, halfa mile, it has been shut off. And you can see a lot of ambulances. 9 09, how much time has passed since the incident happened . Has passed since the incident happened . People has passed since the incident happened . People being treated at the scene, happening within the last half an hour, in fact. Emergency services at the scene, armed police, and sophie has been talking to us. We can see what is happening down there at the moment. There is a police cordoned in place. Sophie, can you read p people arejoining us, what happened this morning when you arrived. I spoke to somebody that got to the station at 8 30, he was going to get the tube. He said that as he arrived, everybody started to run out of the station towards him, screaming and crying. I spoke to a woman on the carriage, in the carriage where it happened, and she said she was in the carriage. All of a sudden, there was a bang, a pause, and then there were flames. She said she saw the flames coming towards people, and she felt she was protected from the flames because there were people in front of her, but she described how she saw people that had been burned, people with burns to their head. I have seen somebody stretchered into this ambulance next to me now, who clearly is conscious, but she has burns all over her body, it looks like, certainly her legs and some burns to her face as well. A lot of people at the moment in Parsons Green, lots of worried and anxious people, trying to work out what is going on. Clearly, trying to get out of the station itself was pandemonium. It sounds like there we re pandemonium. It sounds like there were a lot of people rushing to get out and off the tube. The tube stopped the minute this happened, i am told, the doors opened, so people could get off their weekly. It is clear that people have been hurt. We can also now tell you, the Ambulance Service has confirmed a Hazardous Response Team is down there at the moment, making their way to the scene of this incident at Parsons Green. Sophie, give us a sense of what kind of area this is for people that dont know. This is southwest london, it is fulham, it is a very, very busy tube commuter line. It goes into earls court, one of the main hubs. Lots of people get on this tube every morning. Move move sorry. A lot of people are getting onto the tube this morning. I take this tube a lot, it is packed. You stand shoulder to shoulder with people. Move i am just stand shoulder to shoulder with people. Move i amjust moving back. Is there a sense of panic there at the moment . I can see, when you turned your phone around, we saw a lot of people standing by, watching what is happening. The police are moving us back at the moment. Into the park. The police are moving everybody back. Two armed policeman, as you heard, shouting at everybody to move. People standing here trying to move. People standing here trying to understand what has been going on. And. Yes, a sense of the world in. People dont know what has happened. I dont know where the passengers on board the train, i know some are being talked to by police at the moment. You can see the police are extending the cord on here, and pushing everybody right back. We can hear them now, sophie. What we can tell you at the moment, what we know is an incident happened ona train, what we know is an incident happened on a train, on a District Line underground train in Parsons Green, an area in south west london. We have been looking at a photograph of a white container, a photograph taken and a white container, a photograph ta ken and posted a white container, a photograph taken and posted on social media of a white container that was on fire. A Hazardous Response Team is down there at the moment. We have armed police down there on the scene. The Emergency Services are attending. Again, having a look at social media at the moment, some of the facts havent been verified, but there are eyewitnesses at the scene describing a fireball through the carriage after this container had caught fire. Also, others describing passengers with facial injuries. We have been speaking to Sophie Raworth from bbc news at the scene, describing seeing someone stretchered into an ambulance. Their legs were wrapped up. We are hearing of facial injuries, leg injuries and a hazardous team on site at the moment. We can bring you up to date. What can you tell us . As you can imagine, information from official sources at this stage is limited. This has been breaking in the last 40 this has been breaking in the last a0 minutes. What we can say with certainty is much of what you have just said, transport for london confirm the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon due to a security alert. Police say they are aware of an incident, officers are attending the scene, and Parsons Green station is closed. The Ambulance Service are also on the scene. And they are sending a hazard area Response Team to the scene. Other than that, the rest of the information is from witnesses, Sophie Raworth, obviously. The metro had a reporter on the train. People with severe burns, but that information is witnessed here say at this stage, no more further information from official sources. Curran we will keep you up to date throughout the morning on what is happening. We are hearing there is a hazardous team there and armed police. We dont yet have a sense of the scale of the injuries. We do know there are several ambulances down there and armed police responding. What else can you tell us . Im afraid information is patchy at this stage. Obviously, twitter is alive with photographs and witness testimony, but its hard to be sure what is real at this stage. The mounting evidence appears to suggest that there has been some sort of white container or device which has exploded. Some people are severely injured and being stretchered off the scene. Police are clearly taking it seriously, as our transport for london. There was obviously disruption to Tube Services this morning, but until we have more confirmation, it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty. Transport for london say they have suspended the District Line between edgware road suspended the District Line between edgwa re road and suspended the District Line between edgware road and wimbledon after this incident. We have another statement from the assistant director of operations at London Ambulance service. They said there we re Ambulance Service. They said there were called at 8 20am to reports of an incident at Parsons Green underground station. We have sent multiple resources to the scene including single responders in cars, ambulance crews, Incident Response officers and our hazardous area Response Team, with the first of our medics arriving in under five minutes. A very Quick Response to what happened during rush hour. Our priority is to assess the level and nature of injuries. More information will follow when we have it. That is from the London Ambulance service. Matthew, let me ask you to recap what has happened from 8. 30 this morning for those arriving at work and finding out about this. All we know with certainty is that within the last a5 minutes, an explosion has seemingly taken place at Parsons Green station on the District Line of the London Underground. We know from police that they are aware of an incident. They said the station is closed. The London Ambulance service said they have sent a hazard area Response Team. We know from transport for london that the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. All we have other than that is eyewitness testimony. Sophie raworth, who will be familiar to viewers of the bbc news channel, says she has seen a woman stretchered off with burns to herface and woman stretchered off with burns to her face and legs. Woman stretchered off with burns to herface and legs. The woman stretchered off with burns to her face and legs. The metro newspaper seems to have had a reporter on the train, so they are publishing informative copy of an explosion, smoke, and evacuation and facial injuries and burns. Any other information is more speculative, but it seems that some level of significant event has taken place. With the metropolitan police say they will bring us an update soon. At the moment, we have been speaking to Sophie Raworth, who are viewers will know. She has described seeing some people being stretchered off into an ambulance with injuries to herface. A metro reporter is confirming the same type of injuries a Media Consultant as he was sitting on the District Line train bound for Central London when panic unfolded at around Central London when panic unfolded ataround 8 20am. Central london when panic unfolded at around 8 20am. He said he saw several people injured, apparently having been trampled as they tried to escape. You can imagine with 70 commuters at rush hour on the London Underground at that time of the money, not knowing what was going on, it would have caused an immense amount of panic. A Media Technology co nsulta nts amount of panic. A Media Technology consultants as he was blissfully reading his paper when suddenly, the whole world is charged past me down the platform. We had just stopped at parsons greg and i was on my way up towards paddington when there was panic. Lots of people were shouting and screaming. A woman on the platform said she had seen a bag, a flash and a bang, so something had gone off. It was a packed rush hour District Line train from wimbledon to edgware road. I saw crying women. There was lots of screaming. There was a bit of a crush on the stairs going down to the streets. Some people got trampled on. I saw two women being treated by ambulance crews. Since then, every Emergency Vehicle in london has gone past me, fire engines, police cars. He says that, i dont think anyone was hurt by the actual device or whatever it was. That is his account, but we have heard from Sophie Raworth that she has seen a woman being stretchered away into an ambulance with her legs wrapped. She is hoping to speak to us again in a few moments and she will have an eyewitness with her. British transport police are saying the station is closed and they advised passengers if they are trying to get to work to find alternative means of transport, especially for customers travelling between wimbledon and earls court. Lets bring you up to date with what is happening. Police are investigating reports of an explosion on a District Line underground train in south west london in an area called Parsons Green. A picture on social media that we have been showing new shows a white bucket inside a supermarket bag, but it doesnt appear to show extensive damage in the carriage. Witnesses have described seeing passengers with facial injuries. Others have been speaking of panic as passengers left the train at Parsons Green station, which is in the fulham area in south west london. Bbc london correspondent riz lateef, who was on breakfast earlier, was at Parsons Green on her way to work. She said there was panic as people rushed from the train, hearing what appeared to be an explosion. She said people were left with cuts and grazes from trying to flee the scene. There was lots of panic. A hazardous team is there at the moment, dealing with this incident which seems to be a white container inside a supermarket bag that caught fire. We have heard reports of a fireball being seen travelling down the carriage and panic as lots of people rushed off the train, out of the station, people looking visibly scared and upset. We dont know what happened other than that this was an incident on the train and this picture of a white container which is said to have caught fire. We dont know what caused this. Lots of speculation at the moment on social media. District Line Services have been suspended. The British Armed police are there. Is there anything more you can tell us . Official sources are remaining tight. | us . Official sources are remaining tight. Iam us . Official sources are remaining tight. I am frantically checking twitter, as we all are. It is worth repeating what they have told us. Police say they are aware of this incident and they have offices on the scene. They say Parsons Green station is closed. The London Ambulance service have sent a Hazardous Response Team. Transport for london said District Line services are suspended between earls court and wimbledon. Other than that, it remains in the realms of speculation or witness testimony that we cannot confirm. It looks like there was a container in a plastic bag with possibly wires coming from it, but it is too early to say. Also reports from witnesses that people have been screaming. Sophie raworth says she saw a woman stretchered off with burns to her face and legs. It sounds like a Major Incident. There clearly are people injured, but we dont have official sources confirming any more detail. We can now speak to robin foster, who is at Parsons Green, an eyewitness. What happened . Foster, who is at Parsons Green, an eyewitness. What happened . foster, who is at Parsons Green, an eyewitness. What happened . I was about to walk into the station and there were two people standing outside and a woman sitting on the pavement with blood around her and she was crying and hysterical. I walked into the station and there was blood on the floor and people running down the stairs, screaming, get out. The whole station was evacuated. People were coming out covered in blood and dirt. And what are you seeing around you at the moment . The most Emergency Services i have ever seen in my life. The whole area has been taped off. I have never seen Parsons Green look like this. People are being stretchered into ambulances. We have some live pictures from the scene. Our people start still bare apart from the Emergency Services, and how far back is the cordon . Everyone is outside waitrose now, so we have been moved back from the area. They keep moving us back and more Emergency Services keep arriving. I have never seen police running down the street with guns, telling us to get out of the way. How are people reacting . Well, i am sitting with someone who was about to get on the train and when everyone was running off and screaming, she said people we re off and screaming, she said people were trampled coming down the stairs, because no one knew what it was. Apparently it was a bag, but no one knows. What we know so far is that there was a white container in a shopping bag which was on this carriage which caught fire. That is thought to be behind this incident, which we are calling it because we dont know what was responsible for what happened. We do know that armed police are at the scene. A Hazardous Response Team is there as well. Fire services and ambulances are dealing with this. Robin, what are you supposed to be doing today . Getting on the train to go to work. In Central London. How far away do you work . I work in soho, Central London. How far away do you work . Iwork in soho, so it is Central London. How far away do you work . I work in soho, so it is on the District Line up to oxford circus. What will you do now . Well, my parents have come to get me, so i am going to go home. Everyone is being told to get out of the area. can imagine you are in shock, as are a lot of people who were trying to get to work and about to get on the train. Robin, thank you for speaking to us. We can now go back to Sophie Raworth, who is in Parsons Green. am just here as the second ambulance is leaving the scene. One left a short time ago. I saw a woman who was stretchered onto the first ambulance who had clearly been learnt. She was conscious and setting up, but her legs were wrapped in some sort of film and she seemed to have burns to herface. A lot of shocked people are standing around. People were being interviewed by police. A woman i spoke to describe how she was in one of the front carriages near where the explosion happened and she heard a bang, then there was a pause and she saw flames. She thinks she was protected from the flames because there were people in front of her. This is an incredibly busy tube line. When you get on it in the morning, it is packed and you are Standing Shoulder to shoulder with people. There would have been an awful lot of people on the tube this morning. She saw people who had been injured and the doors opened immediately and people just ran. Injured and the doors opened immediately and peoplejust ran. A man who was coming towards the station who was about to get on is with me now. What happened . station who was about to get on is with me now. What happened . I was walking towards the station, and suddenly everyone came running down the stairs and out of the door, lots of people shocked and tearful and saying there had been an explosion. They said there was a wall of flame coming down the tube carriage. They described a wall of flame . coming down the tube carriage. They described a wall of flame . A wall of flame coming down the carriage after a bang. They clearly heard a bang from further up the train. The doors opened and everyone ran out. People we re opened and everyone ran out. People were climbing over each other. Describe, you were getting on the tube, what is it like on a friday morning at 8 30 . Sardines. Hundreds of people on there. An explosion goes off, its appalling. It would be appalling. It is panic and chaos. The atmosphere here now . Pretty shocked. It really brings it home in your own neighbourhood. Terrible. Thank you for talking to us. I know you have to go to work now, thank you. There you go, shock. It really does bring it home, as people say. The train would have been packed this morning, rush hour, 8 30 this morning. I dont know what has happened to the people on board, a few are around talking to the police, and i will try to speak to them if i can. There are people who have clearly been injured, two ambulances have left this side, where i am at the moment. But the other side is also blocked off to the station, it is a road with a bridge over it, where the tube passes. Ambulance and police at the other end of Parsons Green lane. This whole area has been sealed off. Lots of police, armed police, and very many ambulances at the moment, presumably dealing with the people injured. I dont have any idea at the moment of the numbers. I have asked a Police Officer here, they are not telling us anything at the moment. But as you can see, a lot of Emergency Services. Sophie, for people joining Emergency Services. Sophie, for peoplejoining us, Emergency Services. Sophie, for people joining us, can Emergency Services. Sophie, for peoplejoining us, can you read couple has happened this morning recap. This morning at around 8 30, it seems an explosion on board a District Line tube, which was passing through Parsons Green, this is south west london. This area is fulham, and it was going through Parsons Green, heading to earls court and onto edgware road. The train would have been absolutely packed, it is a commuter train, one line into town. It is shoulder to shoulder, there are a lot of people on these trains at that time in the morning. The woman i spoke to in the carriage where it happened, said she was standing there, there was a bang, there was a pause, it went quiet, and she saw flames rushing towards her. She felt she had been protected from the flames because of the other people in front of her. It would, as i say, have been very busy. She said she saw people with burns, people crying people screaming, and the doors of the tube opened immediately, and people were able to get off very quickly. She that everybody rushed off the tube and out of the station. I was speaking to a gentleman arriving at that time, at 8 30, arriving at the entrance to Parsons Green, and he was met by a wall of people rushing down the stairs, trying to climb over each other so desperate to get out. Very upset people, very panic stricken, crying, running away from the scene. The area has been cordoned off, a 0. 5 mile cordoned, more tape, they keep pushing us back. Two and balances have left this side of the station where i am. The other side is also cordoned off. Move back this ambulance moving now, the third and dealers, two have already left the scene. I saw a woman. Already left the scene. I saw a woman. I saw a woman who was stretchered off very early on, about 1520 stretchered off very early on, about 15 20 minutes ago, she was conscious, she was being given some sort of pain relief. She looked understandably distressed, and we are being pushed back 100 metres. She was very distressed. Her legs had been bandaged, and wrapped up. She appeared to have injuries to her face, she was conscious, but has been taken to hospital. You can see the Police Moving us further and further back sophie, we are speaking to you on face time at the moment, there are interruptions with the pictures, can you give us a 360 face time to show what is going on around you. I can show you now. Can you see the pictures at the moment . I can show you now. That is the station there. That is where the cordons are. We are being moved back for our own safety. This is Parsons Green, more sirens and police cars, fire engines behind me, lined up. More ambulances as well down the new kings road. We have a Police Helicopter above us survey in the scene. A lot of people here being pushed back right now by the police for our own safety, we are told. Ambulances heading off to one of the nearby hospitals. More Police Sirens coming up here as well. Sophie, thank you. We will come back to you, but we are going to another eyewitness who is there at the moment. Thank you forjoining us. No worries. What can you tell us . moment. Thank you forjoining us. No worries. What can you tell us . I was on my way to the station. I went to go on my way to the station. I went to 9 up on my way to the station. I went to go up the stairs, and i saw hordes of people trying to get out as quickly as they could. Where the staircase is is not that long, loads of people were trying to get out, people were climbing on top of each other and doing everything they could to get out as quickly as possible. What time was this . I got to the station at 8 20. When the incident happened . Around that time. I was about to go up to the platform, and that is where the people started to come out, everybody rushing each other, getting out as quickly as they could. People were falling down on the floor, and falling over each other. What were people saying as they were fleeing the scene, as they we re they were fleeing the scene, as they were in the panicked state leaving the station . To be fair, a lot of people were crying and were shaken up. They didnt know what to say. A lot of people were shaking and crying. A few said there was an explosion, and told people to get out as quickly as they could. Where are you at the moment . Where are you speaking to us from . You are still in the area . I am on beryl road, i walked off, because the police got eve ryo ne walked off, because the police got everyone out of the area. What did you make of the response on the scene . You were going to the platform, you saw people streaming out of the station, how soon after where the Emergency Services and armed police on the scene . Literally, only a few minutes. They responded really quickly. I heard on the show that the call was made at 8 20. Iam the show that the call was made at 8 20. I am sure they were there within a couple of minutes, latest, 8 20 five. I think the Emergency Services responded really quickly. It wasnt just a police car, services responded really quickly. It wasntjust a police car, i may be saw eight police cars, three and balances, two fire engines, loads. Three ambulances. Balances, two fire engines, loads. Three ambulances. Were you told anything by Emergency Services . Yeah, they told everyone to get away from the station as quickly as possible. Basically, they were there putting up the police cordoned, and making sure everyone was getting out safely. Thank you for speaking to us. We can come back to matthew for a re cap of what we know so far. We know there has been an explosion at Parsons Green station on a District Line train. The station is closed and there are reports of some injuries. Exactly, information is trickling out from the Emergency Services. We have heard in the last few minutes from the london fire brigade, who say they have six fire engines on the scene, two fire rescue units, and around 50 firefighters. The metropolitan police are in the area with the destructible police and the london and Dublin Service. They say they were called to the scene at 8 20. They were called to the scene at 8 20. Metropolitan police and the london fire the gate. A number of injuries reported, burns, eyewitness reports flooding into us. We know the Dublin Service have a hazard area Response Team on site. The police are currently advising people to avoid the area. Transport for london have told us the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. That is all the information we have. From the eyewitness reports and other reporters down there, at the scene this morning, who happened to be in the area at the time, the types of injuries we are hearing about . The most reports we are getting from eyewitnesses are related to burn injuries. People have described, again, it is impossible to be sure of any of this, but one eyewitness reports a fireball in the carriage. Some sort of explosion, we think possibly from the pictures we have been showing, of a bucket in a plastic bag, whether that is a device, at this stage we simply dont know. But the injuries seem to be, Sophie Raworth saw a woman with burns to her face and legs. Be, Sophie Raworth saw a woman with burns to herface and legs. We be, Sophie Raworth saw a woman with burns to her face and legs. We are looking at largely burn injuries. A large number of reports from eyewitnesses of people being trampled in the crush. If anyone has been on a busy District Line train at that time in the morning, 8 20, they know how busy it can be. You can imagine the panic that will ripple through the carriage, people being trampled, so a number of injuries related to that. But at this stage, it is patchy, and there is nothing officially confirmed on any of that. We know there is a large Response Team for what ever happened. On the one hand, we are seeing a photograph circulating on social media, as you have said, a white container in a shopping bag on the carriage that caught fire. We can show you it now. People reporting not much damage to the carriage. Otherwise, the response to the incident, as we are seeing and hearing down there at the scene, and from eyewitness reports, the response is very big. We note the metropolitan police have teams and equipment on the scene. Two fire rescue units and around 50 firefighters. That gives you a sense of the scale of the Emergency Service response to this. Ambulance services say they have a hazardous area Response Team on the scene, no information at the moment on how many ambulances and injuries, none of that. It is fair to say this is a serious security alert. Matthew, we can show now our viewers live aerial shots of the train where this incident happened, where this explosion, as it is being called, took place. People leaving the train, firefighters on the scene, Emergency Services there. The train is stationary. The pictures you are seeing, Parsons Green train station, you can see outside the station. Emergency services there. There is a police cordoned in place. Sophie raworth described it as being half a mile around the station area. It sounds like it is being extended back even further. People being told to leave the area. A reminder that this happened at a very busy time. The emergency call was received at 8 20 this morning. Worth pointing out, we have had a flash in from Frank Gardner, the bbc security correspondent, and he says that whitehall Officials Say it is too early to pinpoint what caused the explosion at Parsons Green, but a explosive Disposal Team is there. The counterterrorism command at the scene leading the response. Thank you very much indeed. If you are joining us this morning, an explosion has been reported on a london tube train this morning at Parsons Green, which is in south west london. At a very busy time of the money, an emergency call was received at 8 20 with reports of an explosion on a london tube train, which you can see at the moment. We can still see people being escorted off the train, armed police are there at the moment. There appears to be people at the station or more or presumably, on the train. We can see them being escorted away. At the moment, we know that what ever happened, the incident sounds like it happened in one carriage in this District Line train. Again, a white container in a shopping bag caught fire. We dont know what caused the fire. We dont know what caused the fire. We dont know what that container is. We dont know what was inside it. A lot of what we are hearing at the moment is speculation, but there has been a very large response from the Emergency Services, from armed police, from firefighters. And we have heard eyewitness reports of injuries, several injuries, two people who were on that train, facial injuries or burns are being reported. We have also heard of a woman stretchered off with her legs wrapped up, so burn injuries again there. We dont know at the moment what caused this explosion, what caused the fire, but we do know there was a huge sense of panic at there was a huge sense of panic at the station, and some of those injuries may or may not have been caused by people trampling over it other, trying to leave the station. We can go now again to an eyewitness who was down there this morning, who we have been speaking to. I was walking towards the station and suddenly everyone came running down the stairs and out of the door, lots of people shocked and tearful and screaming and saying there had been an explosion. People said there was a wall of flame coming down the tube carriage. I came back from the station with them. They described a wall of flame . A wall of flame coming down the couch after a bang. People said they clearly heard a bang from further up the chain. The doors opened and everyone started running out. A lot of people were trying to climb over each other. Sounds like there was panic. Yeah. What is the tube like on a friday morning at 8. 30 . Sardines. There we re morning at 8. 30 . Sardines. There were hundreds of people on there. If an explosion goes off, it would be appalling. I wasnt on that, but it was panic and chaos. And the atmosphere here now . Shocked. It really brings it home, in your own neighbourhood. That was Sophie Raworth speaking to an eyewitness. The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, gave this update a short time ago on the incident at Parsons Green. Im afraid my information is limited and it is important not to speculate at the moment. Obviously, everybody should keep calm and go about their lives in as normal a way as they can. I understand the British Transport Police and tiafoe are on it and they will be updating their websites as and when we get more information. Tfl are on it. Here is what we know so far. An explosion was reported on a District Line underground train at Parsons Green station at a. 20 this morning. A picture quickly emerged on social media of a white bucket inside a supermarket bag. That picture doesnt show extensive damage to the tube carriage. There are reports that people were trampled as they rushed from the train. This happened during rush hour in london. Thousands would have been trying to make their way to work, a very busy time of day for public transport, especially on the London Underground. The London Ambulance service have not commented on the level of injuries, but they say their hazardous Area Response tea m say their hazardous area Response Team is at Parsons Green. The metropolitan police are at the scene with armed officers. People are being advised to avoid the area. Transport for london said the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. Matthew, remind us again of the update we have had from the bbc security correspondent Frank Gardner. Yes, Frank Gardner has spoken to whitehall officials who say it is too early to say who or what caused this explosion. But he said the explosive ordnance Disposal Team is on the site, looking for forensic clues as to what might or might not have caused the explosion. We have seen that picture of the bucket in the plastic bag, seemingly with wires emerging from it, but it is too early for anyone to say whether that was involved in the incident. He says the metropolitan polices so 15 counterterrorism command are leading the response. We know from the fire brigade that six fire engines are on the site with two fire rescue units and 50 firefighters, given the scale of the Security Services response to this. The Ambulance Service are also on the scene. No information yet as to how many injuries and who, but the hazardous area Response Team is on the scene. Police advise people to avoid the area and the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. We spoke to an eyewitness earlier who was trying to get to work when he saw lots of people streaming out of the station, some of them camping over each other and trying to leave. He said the Emergency Services were on scene very Emergency Services were on scene very soon Emergency Services were on scene very soon after this incident happened. The Ambulance Services sent a Hazardous Response Team, but we do not know what was in this container or why it caught fire. Borisjohnson, the container or why it caught fire. Boris johnson, the foreign secretary, is that everybody should keep calm and go about their lives ina keep calm and go about their lives in a normal way. He said it is important not to speculate at the moment. He said, British Transport Police and transport for london are on it. They will update their websites when they have more information. Although we dont know what happened, injuries have been reported. People have been stretchered onto ambulances. Sophie raworth confirmed that a woman was stretchered onto an ambulance with her legs wrapped up with injuries to her legs wrapped up with injuries to her legs wrapped up with injuries to her legs and face. That ambulance has now left the scene. She confirmed that two ambulances left the scene. An explosive ordnance Disposal Team is looking at forensic clues, trying to piece together what happened. We should be able to hear from robin, an eyewitness who was at the scene. She told us what she saw. There were two people outside and the woman on the pavement with blood around her and she was crying. I walked into the station and there was blood on the floor and people running down the stairs, screaming, get out. The whole station was evacuated. People were coming out covered in blood and dirt. And what are you seeing around you at the moment . The most Emergency Services i have ever seen in my life. The whole area has been taped off. I have never seen Parsons Green look like this. People are being stretchered into ambulances. We have some live pictures from the scene. Are people start still there apart from the Emergency Services, and how far back is the cordon . Everyone is outside waitrose now, so we have been moved back from the area. They keep moving us back and more Emergency Services keep arriving. I have never seen police running down the street with guns, telling us to get out of the way. How are people reacting . Well, im sitting with someone who was about to get on the train and when everyone was running off and screaming, she said people were being trampled coming down the stairs, because no one knew what it was. People thought it was a fire. Apparently it was a bag, but no one knows. Obviously lots of speculation about what happened. The phone call to Emergency Services happened at april 20 this morning, so it has been an hour and 20 this morning, so it has been an hourand a 20 this morning, so it has been an hour and a half. Emergency services are still on the scene. 8. 20 was when this took place. That is clearly peak commuting time for lots of londoners going into work, so you can imagine that the train was probably at peak capacity, really rammed. There are reports at this stage of a number of injuries, which seem to be of the nature of burns. There are reports of an explosion and claims of some description. We dont yet know what caused that explosion, although we are seeing pictures of some sort of bucket in a plastic bag which looks like it is on fire, possibly with wires coming out of it. Too early to say whether that had anything to do with the explosion. The Security Services are sending all sorts of people to the sea. We know from the bbc security correspondent Frank Gardner that whitehall Officials Say it is too early to say who or what caused the explosion, but there is an explosive Ordnance Team from the net looking forforensic clues. And Ordnance Team from the net looking for forensic clues. And the met polices so 15 counterterrorism command is leading the response to this incident. The Ambulance Service have people on the scene. They have sent a hazardous area Response Team. The london fire brigade have six fire engines on site, two fire rescue unit and around 50 firefighters. British transport police and the metropolitan police are on the scene. They advise people to avoid the area. Transport for london save District Line, where this incident took place at Parsons Green in south west london, is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. Another witness reports seeing a flash and a bank in bag holding the container which we have been showing pictures of this morning. We have now seen pictures with wires coming out of it, but these are not verified at the moment although they are circulating on social media. It is too early to say, and whitehall officials confirm that they dont know. This happened at 8. 20, in the last hour and a half. Details are trickling out to us half. Details are trickling out to us slowly. Reports we are getting from eyewitnesses suggest that there has been some sort of an explosion. Certainly flames. While hearing about injuries from burns, which suggests that there has been some sort of detonation. What that is, it is too early to say, although there is too early to say, although there is this picture circulating which looks like some sort of device, but it is too early to confirm that. We are also hearing reports that there was a mass panic when this incident took place. You can imagine how crowded a tube train is at 8. 20 in the morning. Many were potentially injured by the stampede as well as those third injuries we are hearing of with people being stretchered off to hospital with facial burns and burns to their hands and legs. Counterterrorism officers are on the scene. We have been showing you an aerial shot of the train where the incident took place. You can see a train carriage with doors open. Armed police are outside. We dont yet know what caused this explosion. A lot of what we are hearing is simply speculation. We are seeing pictures circulating of this white container in a plastic bag possibly with wires coming from it. Another eyewitness described heading into the station and seeing hordes of people trying to get down as quickly as they could. Borisjohnson, the foreign secretary, has appealed for calm. He is still waiting for information himself. Another eyewitness said at first they thought people were in a rush, but actually, the staircase was full of people and there were people on the floor, old toppling over each other, trying to get out as quickly as they could. There were loads of people crying and shaking, and he said there were lots of people limping and covered in blood from where they had fallen over and hurt themselves. So as well as the injuries we are hearing about that may have been caused directly from this blast that are being described as burns, facial injuries and injuries to another persons legs, it sounds like people have also been injured trying to leave the station in a panicked state. Reports of people limping, covered in blood and falling over themselves. This happened at 8. 20 this morning, so still a developing story. We are waiting for details to find out exactly what happened. We have just had an update from downing street. Not much of an update, but they said theresa may is receiving regular updates on the situation. That just shows that even at the top, there is no confirmation as to exactly what happened. We know from Frank Gardner, the bbc security correspondent, that an explosive ordnance Disposal Team is on site looking forforensic ordnance Disposal Team is on site looking for forensic clues as to what might have caused this explosion. We keep referring to this picture of the bucket in a plastic bag, but no official confirmation as to whether that had anything to do with the incident. The metropolitan police 50 15 counterterrorism command are leading the response and the london fire brigade have a number of assets in place. They have six fire engines, two rescue units and 50 firefighters on scene. There are ambulances treating the wounded. The Ambulance Service have also sent a Hazardous Response Team to the site. Police advise people to avoid the area, and tube line between earls court and wimbledon is closed due to a security alert. We will come back to you. Its 10 oclock, im tina daheley. Breaking news, reports of an explosion on a tube train in south west london. Police were called to Parsons Green station at 8 20am this morning. Eyewitnesses spoke of passengers with facial injuries and mass panic as people fled the station. A ball of flame coming down the carriage after a bang, and there were people at the back of the tube as well who said that theyd heard a bang quite clearly from further up the train. The doors had opened and everyone had started running out. A lot of people have been trying to climb over each other getting out of the tube. Were live at the scene with all the developments as they unfold. North korea launches another missile overjapan, a day after it threatened to sink the country and turn the us into ashes and darkness. Siren People Living injapan near the missiles path were told to seek shelter. Its the second test flight over the country in less than a month. Well speak to People Living there and a former ambassador to the region. Good morning. Lets go to annita go to in the bbc newsroom with a summary of todays news. The Emergency Services are investigating a suspected explosion on a tube train at Parsons Green station in south west london. Pictures taken by a commuter appear to show a white container in flames on the District Line train. The incident happened at around 8. 20 this morning. Armed police, the London Ambulance service and london fire brigade are currently at the scene. Bbc presenter Sophie Raworth was at Parsons Green station this morning and told us what had happened. This is Parsons Green tube station, which has been completely sealed off. Police, ambulance. And from what i have heard from one passenger who was on board the train, she says she was in the early carriages of the train and there was an explosion, a bang, and a pause, and then she said there were flames. She just says they were like a wall of flames, and there were a lot of people in the carriage. She says that she believes she was protected from it by the people in front of her, but she said that she saw people whod been injured, people who had burns to their head, and then she describes the panic as everybody just ran off that train. She said the doors opened as soon as it happened, and she says there was just complete panic as everyone rushed out of that station crying, screaming, and trying to get away from it. Sophie raworth at the scene. Back now to tina. We can cross back to Parsons Green. It happened at 8 20. What can you tell us . We have been here for the last half an hour or so. As you can see, there clearly is. Confuse people here this morning, lots of people here this morning, lots of people told to stand back at the moment. Investigating reports of bomb explosion. You can hear the Police Helicopter above me, dozens of police and Emergency Vehicles. At the moment, dozens of people in the area are being told to stand back behind this cordoned, and this very much is an ongoing situation. Are you getting a sense of the scale or the level of injuries . At the moment, we are hearing eyewitness reports, people saying they have seen people with facial injuries, leg injuries, and also because of the sheer panic of the situation, people exiting the station. Some injuries may have been caused as people were trying to leave. At this stage, were not. People have been affected by the incident. We dont know if there have been any. I spoke to someone called Christine Anderson a few moments ago, she has lived here for a number of years. She said that at 8 30 this morning, on the way in, people darted out of the station screaming. Some people we re the station screaming. Some people were on the floor, she said. Police havent verified what has gone on. They are investigating this ongoing incident. We are unsure about the scale of the incident, but it is a fast moving scene this morning. Can you tell us, this is a developing story, can you tell us in the half hour you have been there, the comings and goings . We know the Hazardous Response Team is there, the Ambulance Service is there, who has arrived on the scene and who has left . About five minutes ago, we saw six massive. The Police Helicopter presence here, it is getting noisy here in south west london. Lots of officers, armed police on the scene, making sure people stand back behind gordon. No one is past this area. Cordoned. We have seen the helicopters above in the sky investigating what happened here a couple of hours ago this morning. For now, thank you. We will cross to tom symons, who is down there. We are trying to bring you that line. We will try to get to tom is as soon as we can. No word on casualties, but reports that people we re casualties, but reports that people were troubled on as they rushed from the train. Sophie raworth who was at Parsons Green, who we spoke to earlier, not long after this attack had happened said that at least one person had been injured. That is what we know from Sophie Raworth. Lets have a listen to what she told us. Ididnt i didnt show it for obvious reasons, but i have seen a woman stretchered off. Her legs have been wrapped up and she has been burned. She had burns to herface. She was taking oxygen and pain relief as well. People have clearly sustained nasty burns. She seemed to have burns all over her body, from top to toe. Her legs wrapped up in some sort of protective sort of plastic film. She definitely had burns to herface as film. She definitely had burns to her face as well. So very clearly, people have been injured. We can bring you another update from our Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford, who has told us that Parsons Green is being treated as terrorism. Parsons green is being treated as terrorism. The incident, the explosion we have been reporting on this morning that was reported at 8 20 this morning, a white container inside what looked like a supermarket carrier bag, and a fire will stop the associated reported injuries, we are now being told that this incident is being treated as terrorism. Counterterrorism sources say they are working on the assumption that the incident was terrorism. We can now, i think we have the line up, and we can speak to tom symons. What is the latest . What can you tell us . We are hearing this is being treated as a terrorist incident. Yes, there wasnt going to be much doubt about that in the early stages of this incident. People i have spoken to say they we re people i have spoken to say they were alerted overlooking the station as they saw people running out of the station, looking very distressed, people screaming, trying to get off the tube train inside the station. This started at 8 20, as you have said. The Ambulance Service say they were alerted at that time and sent a large amount of equipment and sent a large amount of equipment and people to the area. I dont know if you can see behind me the park close to the tube station, it has been completely evacuated now. On the other side of the park where the tube is, the roads are filled with Emergency Vehicles. I have to say, we havent seen ambulances coming in and out yet, suggesting perhaps that there arent a large number of injuries, but as you have heard from Sophie Raworths first had become, clearly some serious injuries. We a lwa ys clearly some serious injuries. We always in the early stages of Something Like this describe what we see and hear about an explosion. There are reports of at least one object that looks like some kind of device, a bucket with some substance inside a plastic bag, we have also looked at pictures we have seen, and we are attempting to verify those. We have to be careful in the early stages, it is not unusual for objects to be there and get caught up objects to be there and get caught up in Something Like this. Clearly, for the police, a major operation beginning. Firstly, clearing the area, making sure there are no other objects they are worried about, packages, anything, bags. People tend to leave things on trains, so they had to make sure they checked everything. The entire area, as you say, has been cordoned off now. The police will be making moves all around london to try and make sure that nothing else is going on at any other tube stations around the city. Lets give you some idea of what some eyewitnesses have told us. People saying that there was some kind of explosion, another account of flames, people being burned. We have one man saying there was a knife at the scene, and police declaring a Major Incident quite quickly. People coming out of the station with cuts and grazers. People getting off the train in a great hurry. For this operation, i suspect this will now go on for a great deal of time. Complete chaos on the roads around west london, because of course, the tube system is down, people turn to the roads. A great deal of disruption going on. Still very early stages, we know this is now being treated, or an assumption is being made, that this could be a terrorism incident. London, the capital, hasnt experienced anything like this in more than a decade, in terms of an attack on the London Underground. This is completely different in terms of the size and scale of what has happened, but worrying, nonetheless, for people that work, live and commute in the london area, using the London Underground. Indeed, worrying. Iwas using the London Underground. Indeed, worrying. I was around when the 77 indeed, worrying. I was around when the 7 7 attacks happened in 2011. London is kept using the tube the day after the attacks, the tube carried on being used by people that we re carried on being used by people that were nervous, but it didnt stop them. That is an important reaction, i think. Them. That is an important reaction, ithink. In them. That is an important reaction, i think. In this case, we dont know much at this stage, we dont know how serious it is, it sounds serious, not the first terrorism attack this year, of course. We started the year pretty much with the attack by Khaled Masood on westminster bridge, shot dead inside the gates of parliament. We had the attack on the arena in manchester following the concert there, very high loss of life then. Again, a bomb used in that case. And the attack at London Bridge, a car used to drive into people, knives used to attack people in the London Bridge area. Clearly, we are in a heightened state of alert in this country. We are not at the highest level of alert, which means an attack is known to be imminent, but we are at the second highest, and we have been there for some time. Police deal with ongoing security situations, and they themselves say foiled a number of what they have called terrorism plots over the last few months as they seek to try and track what is going on, groups, individuals, who are planning attacks and seek to move in and stop them at exactly the right time. Timing is everything in this sort of terrorism operation. You had to gather evidence, and make sure people dont get hurt. When it comes to this attack, or potential attack as it seems at the moment, of course, there may be a number of motives. Police treat Something Like this always as terrorism, because we have seen terrorist attacks, as you said yourself, in london in the past. But that doesnt mean we know the motivation, or the inspiration, of whoever might have put these buckets, or this bucket, of whoever might have put these buckets, orthis bucket, on of whoever might have put these buckets, or this bucket, on the tube today. Of course, people have talked in the past about islamic terrorism, but also, there is a particular issue, and police are concerned about, people with Mental Health issues becoming inspired to do Something Like this. Thats even saying they are inspired by islamic extremism. So, early days, and i am sure we will get more details as time goes on. What can you tell us about the way, for people that dont know who are watching, those security alerts, how they work and how they are upgraded and downgraded, given that we have had a number of attacks this year. They are based on intelligence. Police and Security Services always monitor and Security Services always monitor a wide range of people in this country. There will be people right now under surveillance, as i have got here across london to get to this location this morning, i saw a number of plain clothes to Police Officers and cars moving around the city at speed. As Something Like this happens, police moved quickly to find out what caused this, and maybe following people that appear in the early stages of planning something. They will see if they know who might carry Something Like this out, their acquaintances, friends, co conspirators, if there are any, they are rounded up and spoken to, arrested and spoken to. All of that goes on straightaway. That is away from the Emergency Response going on here right now, which is about clearing the area, making sure that anything in the station is safe. And of course, then, treating the internal area of that station and train as a crime scene, vast amounts of forensics can breed abbott from crime scenes. They are breed abbott from crime scenes. They a re interested breed abbott from crime scenes. They are interested in everything from items left at the scene, in the 7 7 attacks, for example, the terrorists, the attackers, were identified by id cards left at the scene. That kind of information is very useful. The police will then make sure that they secure the area and get to grips with what is there. At the moment, it is going to be a safety operation, making sure people in the area are safe, and casualties are dealt with. People are coming out all the time, walking out of the area. We should repeat that counterterrorism sources say theyre working assumption is that the Parsons Green incident is terrorism. What can you tell us about the speed and scale of the response . Sorry . What can you tell us about the speed and scale of the response by the Emergency Services to this incident which is now being treated as a terrorism attack . And struggling to hear you, but i think you are asking about the speed and scale of what the police are doing. The metropolitan police said they were called at 8. 22 and incident on a tube train at Parsons Green station. The Deputy Assistant commissioner, who is the National Coordinatorfor counterterrorism policing, has declared it a terrorism incident. There are officers from the metropolitan police and the British Transport Police. The fire brigade and Ambulance Service are here as well. They said a number of people have suffered injuries but it is too early to confirm the cause of the fire. In saying that, they did confirm that there has been some sort of explosion resulting in fire on the train. The mets counterterrorism command is investigating. They want people to remain calm, but alert. Here, nobody is panicking. Everybody has seen this sort of thing before in this city over decades. People are getting on with their lives, trying to rearrange what they are doing and trying to find out if they can get to their homes and offices. But the Police Operation always starts with a low level of information. The police want to gather as much as they can without anybody else who might be involved being tipped off about what is going on. As time goes on, they will confirm the facts. I suspect we are now into yet another period where police have to look at who might have put items like this on the tube, who might know them, hooda families are, where they have been and who they have spoken to, and that is an enormous task. We have heard that the Prime Minister is taking calls about what is happening and also that Boris Johnson has appealed to the public for calm. Again, i am struggling to hear you, but it is important that people stay calm, and people generally do. They live with this sort of issue going on in their cities. As i say, in 2005, when terrorists exploded those three devices on tube trains and a bus in Central London, causing enormous loss of life, people were shocked, but they got on with their lives. Two weeks later, there was another attempt, a failed attempt to attack the London Underground. Devices that appeared very basic, but viable as in they could have exploded, were placed on the tube and ignited, but didnt explode. That again raised the terrorism alert. The day after that, we saw the shooting ofjean charles de menezes after a counterterrorism operation that went badly wrong. It is a similar sort of situation. We dont yet know the scale of what happened and the degree to which people have been injured. To come back to that report from Sophie Raworth, one of our centres and a very experienced journalist who saw a woman badly burnt as a result of being inside the station, i have heard people talking about flames and panic and some sort of explosion, although that could be a range of incidents from simply a potential device bursting into flames to a full on, high Energy Explosion inside a tube train. The difference between those two things means you can get an enormous range of different injuries, from burns to very severe injuries, from burns to very severe injuries and potentially loss of life. But it is early days yet. We need to see what the London Ambulance service and the police say about the level to which people have been injured. We will leave it there for now im cross to Daniel Sandford at new Scotland Yard. What can you tell us . This has now been formally declared as a terrorist incident. The man in charge of the National Coordination of terrorist incidents across the uk has declared it as a terrorist incident. It was originally being looked after by British Transport Police because it had taken place on a tube train, but now it will be formally handed over to counterterrorism command based here at new Scotland Yard. In a statement, neil basu said a number of people have suffered injuries. We know people were injured from eyewitnesses, but police have confirmed that several people have suffered injuries. At the moment, scotla nd suffered injuries. At the moment, Scotland Yards formal statement on the incident describes it as a fire. They say, we do not yet know what caused the fire. But i think eve ryo ne caused the fire. But i think everyone who has seen the pictures, it looks like something has caught fire or exploded on top of a bucket of something and we are assuming that it of something and we are assuming thatitis of something and we are assuming that it is because of that that this has been treated as a terrorist incident. At this point, new scotla nd incident. At this point, new Scotland Yard are not saying anything about whether the person responsible was present or whether this was something that had been left on the train. What happens next . We were saying before that it has been more than a decade, 2005 when the capital experienced a series of coordinated attacks on a much bigger scale on the London Underground. What can we expect the response to this to be . underground. What can we expect the response to this to be . I think it will go into a straightforward forensic investigation and some kind of manhunt. If this is a terrorist incident, as Police Believe it is, somebody is responsible and that person needs to be found as quickly as possible. So there will be a detailed forensic investigation to work out what this was but caught fire on the train and a manhunt to find out which person or people was responsible. In terms of the security level in the uk, we are already experiencing such a high security level that that is not likely to change. It has been one of the busiest years that Counterterror Police have ever experienced, not only with those attacks that were successful, but also a number of foiled attacks. They have had an extraordinary number of people arrested this year on suspicion of terrorism. So i dont think we will see a dramatic change in security levels. I am seeing armed officers searching through bins outside scotla nd searching through bins outside Scotland Yard today, but that is something which happens on a regular basis. There is a great deal of Police Activity in london this morning. A lot of officers have to be got to the scene to form cordons and carry out forensic work, but i dont think there will be a major shift in the security climate. But thatis shift in the security climate. But that is because security levels are so high already. How significant is it that the London Ambulance service confirmed that a hazardous unit was on the scene . It is significant, but it is what you would expect because of the early reports of the injuries that happened, people talking about possible burns. There will immediately be concerns about what kind of substance would have caused those burns. That is why the London Ambulance service responded with an ability to handle Hazardous Substances. Over the next hour, we will start to get the first indications of what kind of thing caused this fire. Anyone who has seen the pictures can assume that there was at least some kind of minor explosion that caused that fire. Eyewitnesses who were on the tube train have described some sort of fireball. I dont think it is a fire in terms of someone striking a match, it seems to have been more than that. And we have people who have been suffering burns. The official Police Position is that a number of people have suffered injuries and they are trying to find out what caused the fire. But essentially, we are seeing a Police Investigation into either some kind of failed explosive device or some kind of half hoax device. Either way, Police Believe this was something that was designed to terrify people and possibly injure people and maybe even maim or kill. Daniel sandford, our Home Affairs Correspondent outside new Scotland Yard. Police outside pass on screen have just given us this statement. Raoua tlili investigating a critical and serious incident. At an 8. 20, the Emergency Services were called to Parsons Green to deal with a night of exploding to a small degree ofa night of exploding to a small degree of a tube train. There have been a number of people injured and we are still assessing the extent of those injuries. For the moment, the station and surrounding area is closed off while we undertake a thorough review. The matter has been declared a counterterrorist related incident and will be managed and controlled by the metropolitan police counterterrorist command. The Emergency Services will assist with that investigation as it unfolds. At this stage, we are still in the early stages of the investigation and it is too early to speculate on any next steps, but we will issue a further statement as we understand more about the incident. Thank you very much. We have heard there are a number of injuries. Peter crowley was injured by the explosion which is officially been described as a fire on the tube at Parsons Green. Peter, thank you forjoining us. What happened . Peter, thank you forjoining us. What happened . I was on my phone with my face to the side of where the explosion took place. I heard a large bang from the doors on the other side of the tube train under this fireball above my head has come and singed all my hair. I have burn marks on the top of my head and eve ryo ne marks on the top of my head and everyone just run off the train. It was scary. Did you notice anything unusual before that happened . No. Its not really significant, but the tube from wimbledon was delayed for a red light, but that was the only thing that was different to my journey today. How were you injured . It was a really hot, intense fireball above my head. I have got red marks burns to the of my head. There were people a lot worse than me. Can you tell us about their injuries . I saw isawa i saw a gentleman, he had a puffer jacket, the back of that had been burnt where the intense heat had got to him. He had burn marks across his face, which now looking, are a lot worse than mine. Other people, there we re worse than mine. Other people, there were a lot of people in shock, a lot of people physically upset. Mostly, it was facial injuries. When you say facial injuries, what kind of facial injuries . Burns . Yeah, rather than cuts. I didnt see any blood, as such, so to say. In the seconds after it happened, what was the atmosphere like . How well people responding . What was happening around you . Responding . What was happening around you . Like nothing i had ever seen before, sheer panic. Everyone jumped off the train. My initial and everyones initial reaction was to look back and assess the action. I moved down the platform from where the incident took place. It was just sheer panic. How busy was the train carriage . Thankfully, when i travelled to work the day before, it was what i would call sardines. It was what i would call sardines. It was busy, but movable, it wasnt as busy as it could have been, but still busy for that type of day. Where are you now . I understand you are waiting to be treated. Yeah, i am going to the hospital shortly. I have been in two work on the wandsworth bridge road is 20 minutess walk from Parsons Green station. Peter, thank you for speaking to us this morning. We will continue to bring you updates through the morning on this developing story. He is a recap of what we know so far about what happened in south west london this morning at around 8 20am. Counterterrorism officers investigate an incident on a District Line train at Parsons Green station. Reports of an explosion first emerged at 8 20. A picture quickly emerged on social media of a flaming white bucket inside a supermarket bag. Witnesses describe a High Pressure blast and a bang coming from a bag. Witness have reports that people were burnt. One mans jacket melted by the intensity of the heat. Other reports say commuters were trampled on as they rushed from the train. Some people take into ambulances on stretchers, some have suffered cuts, grazes and facial injuries. The metropolitan police are at the scene with armed officers. People are being advised to avoid the area. Transport for london say the District Line is suspended between earls court and wimbledon. As you would expect. We can bring you a statement from the Prime Minister, my thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green, and Emergency Services who are responding bravely to this terrorist incident. In a moment, we will speak to Daniel Sandford at new scotla nd speak to Daniel Sandford at new Scotland Yard, and tom symons, who is on the scene. Right now with us is on the scene. Right now with us is gordon carreras, what can you tell us . It has been roughly two hours since this happened, what do we know so far . The signs are this isa we know so far . The signs are this is a terrorist incident. From the pictures we saw initially, that looked very likely. The container, but also the wires coming out of the container we have seen in some images, posted on social media very quickly, which i think are consistent with the idea that this was some sort of explosive device that perhaps did not properly fully decimate what was in it, and led to a small fire and small explosion, perhaps, but not what was intended. That would be the working assumption and white, it has now been confirmed, the police are treating it as confirmed, the police are treating itasa confirmed, the police are treating it as a terrorist incident. A priority for police, as well as establishing what the device was, are there any others . Who planted it . Were there any others . What was the purposess . They will be starting to look for eyewitness accou nts starting to look for eyewitness accounts and cctv as part of the investigation to identify who was behind this. No idea yet what kind of group, motivation, what individual, it is far too early at the moment to say anything on that. We are also seeing pictures of a white container inside a bag, another picture of a container with wires attached to it, images circulating on social media. It is so hard to tell if these are authentic. Absolutely. That is the problem with images on social media, we have seen in the past also information. We had to be a bit cautious about that, but i think the witness accou nts that, but i think the witness accounts are consistent with this kind of incident taking place. The police have been relatively quick to identify it as terrorism or treated as terrorism, as you expect, and we will have to wait for more details about what happened, and whether the images are correct. We will get those from official sources, probably not for an hour or two, perhaps, but the direction of travel is towards some kind of improvised explosive device, which perhaps did not detonate properly or fully, as someone may have intended. Unless their intention was in part to cause disruption as much as anything else. But i think given the accounts we have had, it looks like this was something that was potentially quite serious, and could have been more serious. In the context of this year and the attacks we have seen, westminster bridge, manchester, London Bridge and now this, do we expect, is it too early to say if the National Threat level will be raised again . We have been in it for a while, and it was only when it goes too critical, if they have intelligence of an imminent attack. It isa intelligence of an imminent attack. It is a specific set of circumstances when they go to critical. If they know something is on the way and believe another attack is about to happen. If that was to happen today, that would be significant, it would suggest there is an ongoing threat from further attacks, but the fact it has been at severe, warning for some time that other attacks what happened, we have seen it this year, and a number of foiled plots, including some with improvised explosive devices and the like, it suggests police have been very busy and have been warning people that these are the types of incidents, perhaps with expose of devizes, perhaps with knives, bats with vehicles, that are becoming increasingly normal in europe, and u nfortu nately, increasingly normal in europe, and unfortunately, in the uk now. The Prime Minister theresa may has announced she will chair a meeting of the Cobra Committee after the incident in Parsons Green. After what has happened, she has also said, my thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green and the Emergency Services who are responding quickly and bravely to a suspected terrorist incident. The meeting is expected to take place at midday today. In 0a now indeed. We should be able to go to tom symons at Parsons Green, what can you tell us . This whole area has been shut down, as i heard one Police Officer telling a crowd of people being moved back through this park behind me, the tube station is just over there, beyond the tree you can see. You may be able to see Emergency Vehicles there. Ambulances coming and going all the time from the scene, though i have to say, we are not seeing fleets of and bala nces are not seeing fleets of and balances in emergency mode, heading to hospitals. It is not a great indication of how serious the level of injury is, and we can confirm that as time goes on, that ambulances, they have come here in numbers, and potentially leaving, hopefully, without too many serious injuries. Having said that, the eyewitnesses we have spoken to and saw what happened on the train you describe variously a fireball or a sheet of flame from this device as it might be inside the train. We are not hearing about blast injuries, if you like, so the sort of injuries you like, so the sort of injuries you would get with a very high Energy Explosion. Instead, and these are from initial eyewitness accounts, more like serious burns. We have spoken to somebody who described a burning smell, people with singed hair, saying as you would expect, there was pushing and shoving to get off the train, absolute panic this person suggested to us. They werent prepared to give us an to us. They werent prepared to give us an interview, because clearly it isa us an interview, because clearly it is a shocking thing to have seen. Somebody then said, please, please, try to keep calm. Armed Police Officers were quickly on the scene. The whole of this year, the metropolitan Police Armed Response operation has been on high alert and stop that means armed response units around the city are ready to go in an incident like this. The London Bridge terrorism attack earlier in the year, they were there within eight minutes or so. It seems from eyewitness accounts that armed police were here very fast. The train becomes a crime scene, somewhere in the police had to find forensic evidence inside that train, but also make sure there is nothing else that can cause a safety risk to Emergency Services and investigators. In the last few minutes, we have seen this park being searched by Police Sniffer dogs, for example, a white van has been here since we arrived, that kind of thing does give concern to the police, because they need to make sure there is nothing else at risk. All of us stood here, reporting on the story today. More widely, you can be sure that the metropolitan police and Security Services were they will again go into investigatory mode. Police cars around the city, Plainclothed Police cars, an Unmarked Police cars with sirens, moving around at speed, because when Something Like this happens, it may be linked to something the Security Services and counterterrorism officers are aware of in some form. They might be aware of in some form. They might be aware ofan of in some form. They might be aware of an attack that they thought might be further away, and they now have two speed up their response to that, perhaps by arresting people, perhaps by checking on the identities and locations of people under surveillance. All of that means there is a huge operation starting, which has its epicentre, if you like, at Parsons Green. Tom, for now, thank you. We will come back to you later. Neal white was on the train, we can speak to him now. Thank you forjoining us this morning. Thank you. Good morning. Tell us what happened, run us through your morning, what happened . I commute from south west london to north west london. I get the train from new maldon to wimbledon, and change there on the District Line to earls court, getting the train to wembley on the piccadilly. I usually sit at the back of the train, and i get off at wimbledon. I was sitting at the end of the last carriage, the last three seats, two by the door, minding my own business as a train was approaching earls court. And the train was pretty packed by the time we got to Parsons Green. I was looking at my phone at the time. I heard this dull thud. My first reaction was we had hit something on the track, or maybe the train had become derailed. The next thing i heard was, i had my head down, eve ryo ne heard was, i had my head down, everyone started rushing for the door. I immediately stood up and wondered what was going on, exiting the train with everyone else. It was absolutely sheer pandemonium and panic, people were screaming and shouting, pushing to get off. There are no orderly exits on the train for people trying to get out at the same time. I heard someone say there had been an explosion or a fire further up the carriage. I didnt actually see it myself, because where i was sitting, the train was absolutely solid with passengers. My next move was to get off the train. As soon as i stepped off the train, i saw as soon as i stepped off the train, isawa as soon as i stepped off the train, i saw a woman lying on the ground. There were shoes and handbags, and bags strewn all over the platform, people were lying down. A lot of people were lying down. A lot of people seemed to be on the ground as they exited the train and they were falling over. The platform was absolutely packed with passengers, some 700 people there, so it was difficult to get out of the train because the platform was so busy. I then started walking up the platform to find out what was going on, and the next thing i remember were armed Police Officers with machine guns running onto the platform, after the carriage was evacuated, and the fire brigade started to arrive, and Emergency Services. The police were on site within 5 10 hits, it was an amazingly Quick Response. The London Underground staff then evacuated the station, and the station was closed. We queued to get down the steps, which took some time. By the time we got out onto the street, there were ambulances, fire engines, police cars, officers everywhere. It was quite a start to the morning, really. I was so shocked. Yeah, also when i left the train, there was quite a acrid burning smell. That is my experience on my commute to work this morning. We are hearing about the injuries, we are hearing about what sounds like fire, some sort of explosion on the carriage, but also injuries caused by people who, as you say, in a panicked state, were rushing to get out of the station. Can you describe Parsons Green underground station compared to other stations, for example, on the London Underground, and the way you exit the station. Parsons green station is on an embankment, so it is not actually underground. The District Line on that part of the line is overg round. District line on that part of the line is overground. It is like coming onto a normal train station platform. To exit the station, you have to go down quite a few staircases, down to ground level, and then alt through the barriers onto the street. Mail, thank you forjoining us neil. We can now go back to Parsons Green and tom symons, who was with an eyewitness at the scene this morning. People are coming away from the station whose journeys were disrupted on their way to work. This bit of the London Underground is very busy. With me if sally fulton, who is a teacher. So you were off to work. You were not in the train where the explosion happened, but tell us what you saw . I was in the middle of the train, and i suddenly saw people coming towards me. I was sat down. They were running and shouting, although i couldnt hear what they were shouting. I knew something serious was going onjust by the speed at which people were travelling and the volume of people. Luckily, i was sat next to an exit. Whatever had happened had happened as we were coming into the station. The doors opened and ijust ran out, as everybody else did. And we were still running on the platform. It was pandemonium on the platform. People were running down because everyone was trying to make an exit. I fell over somebody who had fallen in front of me, but i got myself up to the side. I kept running. I didnt know i was running from. Until basically, we couldnt move out of the station because they had blocked it. So there was a big congregation of people. I still didnt know what had happened. People were crying and visibly upset. Then i heard people say explosion, fire. I bumped into a colleague of mine who was further down the train. I had not seen her until that point, and she confirmed that she had seen a surge of fire coming towards her. She had a wash sound before that and managed to evacuate just by chance, because we we re evacuate just by chance, because we were pulling into the station. Then we we re were pulling into the station. Then we we re evacuated. Were pulling into the station. Then we were evacuated. There are useful eyewitness accounts of what you heard. So a whoosh rather than a bang . That was her word. And almost a sheet of flame . Yes, she said it was a surge of fire coming towards her. We were lucky that we were able to get to an exit. Did you see anybody who appeared to be injured . On the platform, there were people who had clearly been further down in the carriage. I spoke to a lady who had her hair badly singed. She had some kind of debris over her, as had other people. I saw a man who had burns on his arms. I didnt see anything else, because my main concern was to get out. My colleague was injured in the fall. Let me ask you a couple of factual questions to help us understand the chain of events. This was about 8. 20, can you give a rough idea of the time . Probably about quarter past. I had just missed my previous train. That was why i was one of the first on that train. It would have been 8. 15. In which direction . From wimbledon to fulham. On the District Line. And you yourself didnt hear an explosion . I heard nothing. That was why i didnt know what i was running from. Ijust knew something serious had happened for that volume of people to be suddenly running with down the carriage with that kind of reaction. So my first instinct was to get out there and luckily i could, because the train was coming toa could, because the train was coming to a stop. I still dont think people further up the carriage from myself knew what was going on. It was more of a chain effect. The people behind us were alarming the people behind us were alarming the people in front of us, and we all got off. Did you see any damage to the train itself . I didnt. When we we re the train itself . I didnt. When we were stuck on the platform, i did have a look, because i had heard that there was an explosion by them. But i couldnt see anything. I thought maybe there had been a fire outside the station. What was the smell like . Justice mall of fire burning. What was the response of the Emergency Services and the station staff . The only person i saw at the station was the person telling us to move off the platform and get out. I dont remember seeing people as we were going out of the station. I was trying to help my colleague because she was limping, but we were evacuated quickly. Thank you. That was sally, who was a teacher on her way to work when she had people rushing out of the train ina lot had people rushing out of the train in a lot of panic, some injuries, and the smell of burning, suggesting that it was not a high Energy Explosion, but some kind of burning that took place inside this train. That will clearly be something the police examine. Sadiq khan, the mayor of london, has released a statement. He says our city condemns the hideous individuals who attempt to use terror to harm us and destroy our way of life. As london has proven again and again, we will never be intimidated or defeated by terrorism. He says he is in contact with the metropolitan police, transport for london, the government and Emergency Services. Lets cross to Daniel Sandford at new Scotland Yard. When are hearing that a cobra meeting will be chaired by the Prime Minister at midday . Thats right. It is always what happens in these situations. At one of the Cabinet Office briefing rooms, there is a formal security meeting, often chaired by the Prime Minister, which will be attended by some of the most senior counterterrorism Police Officers, senior members of m15 and ministers like the transport secretary and the home secretary. That will take place this afternoon, soon after midday. That is the formal point at which ministers and officials responsible for security come together to work out whether they need to take additional measures and to make sure there is a good sharing of information across government. This has now been formally declared as a terrorist incident. That is the job of the beauty commissioner neil basu, the National Coordinator for counterterrorism policing, to make that decision. This was initially being dealt with by British Transport Police because it was a fire ona transport police because it was a fire on a train, but now it has been taken over fire on a train, but now it has been ta ken over by fire on a train, but now it has been taken over by the counterterrorism command at new Scotland Yard because police clearly believe this was some sort of deliberate act. What it is is unclear at this stage. Police are trying to work out what caused this fire, which is being described as eyewitnesses as a sort of fireball with a whooshing sound. It sounds like a flammable substance has been ignited. We have all seen the pictures of this white bucket with a burnt substance. The police are assuming it was a deliberate explosion. It is not clear whether the person who was responsible was present on the train, so that will be an urgent part of the investigation to establish if the person responsible was there and if so, where they are now, or if this was something that was left on the train. This is a two part investigation. One will be the forensic part of the investigation, trying to work out what was in that device, for want of a better word, whether it was a deliberate fireball or whether that was a side effect of Something Else that was supposed to happen. That will be a bit frantic operation. Secondly, to work out who is responsible and where they are. We have been here before. You have had multiple terrorist attacks and many, had multiple terrorist attacks and any had multiple terrorist attacks and many, many foiled attacks this year. Our security level is already severe. There is no sign of that moving up to critical. At this stage, it is unlikely that it will move up to critical unless police find evidence that this is part of a series of attempted attacks. So we revise that severe, but that does not mean there was not some kind of major security operation going on across london, because that has been the case for most of this year. Where are at a high state of alert and is fortunately appears to be an incident in which no one has been killed, although police have confirmed that a number of people have been injured. We have heard from eyewitnesses of the kind of injuries people have suffered, burning injuries from this sheet of flame orfireball that burning injuries from this sheet of flame or fireball that people have described going across the carriage. Police are clearly prepared for incidents like this, especially in the context of the attacks that we have seen happen in the uk this year. People we have spoken to tell us year. People we have spoken to tell us they were on the scene within minutes. Unfortunately, the police have had to become very fast at responding to these kinds of incidents because they have become a regular occurrence. Ever since the firearms attack in bombay, and over the years since the bataclan attack in paris concentrated minds further, there has been a big effort to build up there has been a big effort to build up the firearms response across the uk, particularly in london. Nobody quite knows about the timing is, because peoples impressions of time often change in these incidents, but an eyewitness has described that armed officers were at Parsons Green station within five to eight minutes. We will get more detail on that as the day goes on, but it was a very Fast Response by armed Police Officers and a London Ambulance service and the london fire brigade, turning up with equipment to deal with Hazardous Substances in case that was necessary. In london, the Emergency Services have had to change what equipment they carry in their response to these incidents. Going back to before the 2005 bombings of the London Underground, that has continued to evolve to make sure the response is appropriate. At this stage, this does not appear to bea this stage, this does not appear to be a fatal incident, which everybody will be relieved about, but the question is whether it was intended to bea question is whether it was intended to be a fatal incident. Did the person who laid this device intend that people should have been killed . Clearly, if it was meant to be a fatal device, that would be a reminder of what a horrendous year of terror this has been, with multiple attacks with vehicles and knives and also the ghastly bombing of the Manchester Arena in may. Daniel, thank you. A reminder of the Parsons Green incident that is reported to have taken place at 8. 20 this morning has been declared a terrorist incident. Eyewitnesses described seeing a whoosh, a fireball down the carriage. Cordons are in place and there are a number of injuries. The Prime Minister has confirmed that she will be chairing an emergency cobra meeting at midday today. We will leave you with these aerial pictures from south west london. There is continuing coverage on bbc news with Sophie Raworth and annita mcveigh. This is bbc news, and these are the top stories developing at 11. Commuters flee a london tube station after an explosion in a train carriage. Scotland yard says the incident is terror related. Pictures of the device show a white bucket inside a carrier bag with a number of wires visible. Then a fireball above my head burned all my hair, everybody ran off the train and it was quite scary. There were scenes of panic in the aftermath as people tried to escape with reports of people being trampled on in the chaos and rush. Iam here i am here at Parsons Green where the incident took place at about 8 20am. There has been sealed off by