Damn.Accounts from people who witnessed the explosions in central London today
"I was on the bus in front and heard an incredible bang, I turned round and half the double decker bus was in the air ... It was a massive explosion and there were papers and half a bus flying through the air, I think it was the number 205. There must be a lot of people dead as all the buses were packed, they had been turning people away from the tube stops. We were about 20 metres away, that was all."
— Belinda Seabrook, who was on a bus travelling from Euston to Russell Square, London
"The explosion seemed to be at the back of the bus. The roof flew off and went up about 10 metres. It then floated back down. I shouted at the passengers to get off the bus. They went into Tavistock Park nearby. There were obviously people badly injured. A parking attendant said he thought a piece of human flesh had landed on his arm." — Raj Mattoo, 35, who was standing on a street corner near Tavistock Square
"I was walking along. There was a whole crowd of people around the bus. The next thing I knew I was on the floor. There was shedloads of glass raining down. Someone fell on me and someone fell on him. For a moment I thought I was going to be trampled. I picked myself up and everyone was running. There was glass everywhere. We ran into a building and a security guard was saying 'get in, get in'. Then the security guard said 'get out' which was a bit scary." (When asked about the possibility of a terrorist attack): "I saw the bus ripped out at the back ... it couldn't have been anything else."
— Unnamed eyewitness in Tavistock Place area
"People were running this way panicked. They knew it was a bomb. Debris flying all over, mostly glass."
— Jay Kumar, owner of a news agent near the site of the bus blast in Russell Square
"I have been in the military and I've never heard anything like it before. But the whole incident was screened by trees in front of the hotel which maybe protected us from any blast."
— Chris Gladysz, hotel worker, Tavistock hotel
"There was a big blast followed by the sound of people screaming. I rushed to the window and it was just unbelievable. From what I saw the top half of the bus had been blown off. And people were wandering around in a daze." — Unnamed woman, Tavistock Square
"I was coming out of a café and turned round and saw a massive explosion from the middle of the road. I was certain it was the bus. My first instinct was to run."
— Eyewitness Richard Routledge, on Great Woburn Street
"I got off the train, walked off about five paces. There was a huge, I mean a huge, explosion which appeared to come from the back end of the train or the tunnel. Everybody just froze - what the hell's going on? Then everybody walked out of the station quite calmly ... There was no pushing. I went upstairs and got out. It was then you think how lucky you are."
— Michael Searle, had just got off a Circle Line train from Victoria to Liverpool Street
"Everything was normal. Suddenly there was a massive bang, the train jolted. There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked. People started screaming and crying."
— BBC worker, Jacqui Head, who was on a Piccadilly Line train at King's Cross
Sources: Guardian Unlimited, Press Association, Associated Press, Sky News, BBC News