Parsons Green tube explosion: May says threat level remains at severe - as it happened

In a statement, Theresa May said: “My thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green and the emergency services who, once again, are responding swiftly and bravely to a suspected terrorist incident.”

Theresa May is to chair a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee this afternoon to discuss the terrorist incident at Parsons Green, Downing Street announced.

Neil Basu, Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, has confirmed this is a terrorist incident.

In a statement the Met added that “a number of people” had suffered injuries. It said:

It is too early to confirm the cause of the fire, which will be subject to the investigation that is now under way by the Met’s counter-terrorism command.

The station remains cordoned off and we are advising people to avoid the area.

Anyone who has information that would assist detectives is urged to contact the hotline 0800 789 321; if it’s an emergency always call 999.

Anyone with images from the scene is asked to upload them to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk

We urge the public to remain calm but alert and if you have any concerns, see or hear anything suspicious then contact police.

15 Sept 201705.22 EDT

Owen Bowcott

Police closed off the southern end of Kelvedon Road with tapes. Gautham Krishna was waiting at the tape to collect his daughter from Kensington Prep School which is behind the security cordon.

“There’s a report of something else possibly in there,’” he said. “The girls and my wife are in there. They are doing great a security sweep.”

The Metropolitan police have declared it a terrorist incident while investigations continue.

British Transport Police has urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says he is in contact with Scotland Yard about the incident.

15 Sept 201705.15 EDT

Owen Bowcott

A young man, who declined to give his name, said he was on the tube at Parsons Green when the incident happened. He said:

I left my flat this morning and walked down to the tube. It was about 8.15am. I got onto the first carriage of the train. It was heading into town, towards Earl’s Court.

There was a terrible commotion and crying and stuff. They kept us on the train for five minutes and then they evacuated the station.

I walked back to my flat [in nearby Kelvedon Road] but then the police came and told us to leave our homes. They have closed everything off. There are reports of another device.

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Passengers on the train behind the one that had the explosion witnessed terrified passengers sprinting away up the tracks, PA reports.

They were then held in their train for over an hour before being evacuated on to the tracks themselves. Nicole Linnell, 29, who works for a fashion label, said:

We saw people running down the tracks. About 30 or 40 people.

They were running down the tracks outside our train. It was absolutely terrifying. Running on the tracks is the last thing you want to do so we were like ‘What’s going on?’

After about an hour we were evacuated off the train on to the tracks. About 10 to 15 people at a time.

15 Sept 201705.05 EDT

Counter terrorism officers lead investigation

Vikram Dodd

Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command, S0 15, has taken the lead in the investigation, in an early indication about a possible motive.

The inquiry into the explosion was initially led by British Transport Police [BTP].

A police source said a “major incident” has been declared by BTP.

Sylvain Pennec, a software developer from Southfields, near Wimbledon, was around 10 metres from the source of the explosion when fire filled the carriage.

“I heard a boom and when I looked there were flames all around,” he said. “People started to run but we were lucky to be stopping at Parsons Green as the door started to open.”

He described the scene of panic as commuters struggled to escape the carriage, “collapsing and pushing” each other.

Pennec stayed behind to take a closer look at what he believed was the source of the explosion.

“It looked like a bucket of mayonnaise,” he said. “I’m not sure if it was a chemical reaction or something else, but it looked home made. I’m not an expert though.”