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London Terrorist Attacks July 2005

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Tryphena Absent

14:50 / 07.07.05

The emergency services have proven that all their planning was worthwhile, too - it all seems to have gone pretty well.

We're getting sirens up here, three sets in one minute... make that four. I suspect they're taking people up to the Royal Free.

Apparently the bus on Tavistock Square exploded outside the British Medical Association and they took the wounded inside because a meeting of GPs was taking place. Two people died in the courtyard.

Ganesh

14:52 / 07.07.05

What I hate about events like this- apart from the obvious- is that you stop thinking about anything else. You want to be able to write about normal things like TV shows but the bombs become all consuming. Even though we all knew this had to happen eventually. I just feel a sense of relief, it isn't quite as bad as I thought it would be.

Yeah, at the risk of triggering some sort of karmic backlash, I feel a little bit like I did when I was extremely ineffectually mugged: there was a sense that, statistically, this was something that had to happen at some point, what with living in London an' all, coupled with a relief that it wasn't as bad as it could've been.

I'll work myself back up to Big Brother soon enough.

Our Lady Has Left the Building

14:52 / 07.07.05

We've had various messages on the internal email all day, the best one was our chief executive who left a conference in Harrogate to dash back here, and wants us to know that he's here for any of us who might have lost someone today. I didn't realise that our chief executive was Trisha.

Anyway, this has just come through:
The latest position re. public transport is that all bus and surface rail services are now running, but there will be no tube service today

A fall of geckos

14:53 / 07.07.05

Just hit home after an absolute exodus from the centre. Massive crowds of people following the bus lanes home. Lot's of chatting, laughing and generally supporting each other.

Stoatie - Magic Mutley's fine. Yoda - will drop over - catch you in a bit.

Sax

14:57 / 07.07.05

I'm not sure about all this "it's not as bad as it could have been...", though. Well, of course it isn't, obviously. But I dunno... 33 (at least dead)...

Sax

14:58 / 07.07.05

Which should, of course, read 33 (at least) dead.

Smoothly

14:59 / 07.07.05

Yeah. This is the worst ever terrorist attack on mainland Britain, isn't it?

lord nuneaton savage

15:00 / 07.07.05

Heres an irony: Office stereo currently playing "Oh, Happy Day". Still making me a bit teary.

Barbelith you have been fucking ace today.

Ariadne

15:01 / 07.07.05

Well, of course, even one person is too much. But compared to Madrid, it's low. So far - it sounds like there are a lot of people very ill, so it might well rise.

Axolotl

15:01 / 07.07.05

I think it's just that when the reports first started, with an unknown number of explosions and everything, it seemed a lot worse than it turned out to be, though that's not to reduce the severity of the attacks or the tragedy of the occaision.

Tryphena Absent

15:02 / 07.07.05

But considering they hit Kings Cross in rush hour the number dead is incredibly low.

grant

15:03 / 07.07.05

I've seen Kings X at rush hour, and I can't blv there aren't thousands of dead people. Where were these bombs?

Sax

15:04 / 07.07.05

Maybe they were just shit bombs.

Sax

15:05 / 07.07.05

I hope Barbelith is going to organise a Madrid-style peace march for tomorrow, by the way.

Tryphena Absent

15:05 / 07.07.05

In a deep tunnel (the only deep tunnel train to be targetted). That's why it took so long to evacuate.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

15:06 / 07.07.05

Have we found Bill yet?

Tryphena Absent

15:07 / 07.07.05

I don't think so.

Ganesh

15:08 / 07.07.05

I'm not sure about all this "it's not as bad as it could have been...", though. Well, of course it isn't, obviously. But I dunno... 33 (at least dead)...

I don't think pointing out that it could've been a lot worse in any way invalidates or diminishes the tragedy of those dead and wounded. Nonetheless, given the vulnerability of our transport systems, I think there is a sense of relief that the death and devastation hasn't been greater.

The Prince of All Lies

15:09 / 07.07.05

Just dropped in to tell all the London lithers that I'm really happy none of you has been injured or killed in this shit. And, yes, thank (whichever deity of your choosing) that it wasn't nearly as bad as Madrid or NY.

Whisky Priestess

15:09 / 07.07.05

Well, the King's Cross/Russell Square one was in a tube carriage in a tunnel hence the limited bodycount - but it must have been pretty tiny: those carriages hold about 100 people don't they?

But - horrible thought - perhaps the sardined people around the explosion actually muffled it and reduced the fatalities? Or maybe it was in the end of an end carriage, effectively halving the potential injuries/deaths?

No idea, no idea at all how it could be so low really, but I can scarcely believe how many people escaped (so far - I expect there will be plenty more dead from wounds within the week).

rizla mission

15:09 / 07.07.05

Maybe they were just shit bombs.

hopefully so - the relatively low (all things considered!) rate of injury, and the fact things are apparently gonna be running again by tomorrow suggests they might have been more low-key blasts than the "massive chunks of twisted metal & collapsed tunnels" kinda deal I was dreading earlier on..

Sax

15:09 / 07.07.05

Well, that's kind of how I feel but then I felt a bit guilty for thinking that.

Sax

15:10 / 07.07.05

That to Ganesh.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

15:10 / 07.07.05

Just heard about this as I'm working from home. Obviously, my thoughts and prayers are with all of you out there and it's quite heartening to read about living floors being offered, etcetera. This truly is a remarkable place.

Smoothly

15:14 / 07.07.05

Maybe they were just shit bombs.

Unshit enough to blow a hole in the side of a tube train, *and the wall of the tunnel it was in*. It is incredible that so many survived.

Some reports just now of another unexploded device being found in Russell Square (ITV News). Perhaps this attack really was a shadow of what it was supposed to be.

Sax

15:14 / 07.07.05

How many unexploded devices is that now?

Tryphena Absent

15:16 / 07.07.05

You shouldn't feel guilty for feeling relieved, anyone who knows this city and the way the transport system works knows that something today was smiling on us because we're all fucking alive.

grant

15:16 / 07.07.05

But - horrible thought - perhaps the sardined people around the explosion actually muffled it and reduced the fatalities?

That would be *really messy*, and I think you'd see some pretty horrifying images of hundreds of injured people being carried out of the station. I haven't seen those (although I'm not really looking for them). I'm going with the "shit bombs" theory.

grant

15:17 / 07.07.05

To clarify, I'm wondering (inexpertly) if the bombs were not in the trains, but in the tunnels themselves.

Tryphena Absent

15:18 / 07.07.05

The news is saying that they have to check all the tunnels and train carriages so I'm not sure if they know yet.

Axolotl

15:18 / 07.07.05

It would seem much more likely that they were in the trains, but that is based on nothing more than supposition.

Sekhmet

15:19 / 07.07.05

I'm quite shaken by this, and very impressed with the way you folks are responding.

Warm thoughts and hugs to all the Londoners, and sincere hopes that everyone is all right. Is there anyone who still hasn't checked in or spoken to anybody?

w1rebaby

15:20 / 07.07.05

The real danger would have come if they'd been incendiary bombs. *That* would have been pretty appalling.

ghadis

15:22 / 07.07.05

Reidcourchie...
'Just got a call from a friend of mine who teaches in London, she sounded done in, emotionally exhausted from looking after her kids who needless to say were effected by what's been happening.'

Big respect to her. Just spoken to my son who is obviously quite wound up from today. I imagine all the rumours and excitement and worry that spreads through schools on days like this is huge. Worry about their parents is top of the list. My sons mother is a nurse in an east london hospital and is going to be there for quite some time yet this evening from what she's told me. Sounds like all the emergency organisations (and indeed the transport) have been fucking excellent today.

Smoothly

15:23 / 07.07.05

That or gas. There were stuck in there for 20 - 40 minutes.

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