- Title: Forensics at work at London Bridge scene, eyewitnesses describe attack
- Date: 4th June 2017
- Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 4, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FORENSICS WORKING AT LONDON BRIDGE SCENE GROUP OF ARMED POLICE IN CORDONED OFF AREA AMBULANCE AT SCENE TV CREW OUTSIDE CORDONED OFF AREA GREY PRIVATE AMBULANCE LEAVING CORDONED OFF AREA AMBULANCE LEAVING CORDONED OFF AREA FORENSIC INVESTIGATOR MAKING HIS WAY THROUGH POLICEMEN AT SCENE ARMED POLICE FLOWERS LAID AT SMALL MAKESHIFT SHRINE RIGHT OUT OF CORDONED OFF AREA / ARMED POLICEMAN VARIOUS OF FLOWERS BEING LAID CLOSE OF A BOUQUET OF WHITE ROSES (SOUNDBITE) (English) EYEWITNESS WHO WORKS AT PUB NEXT TO SCENE OF ATTACK, IRENE SMITH, SAYING: "There was a woman in front of the pub, a police woman, shouting 'everyone run, as fast as you can. Run for your life'. Then we were running, just down the street in that direction. We didn't know what we were running from but people were saying there had been a terrorist attack and I didn't make much of it because people were panicking, crying, trying to reach out and find their friends. There was a woman next to me, running next to me, and she was in her 40s and she was sobbing and crying and I just gave her a hug. I asked her if she was all right and she said I have seen people being stabbed." (SOUNDBITE) (English) EYEWITNESS AND SPANISH TOURIST WHO IS STAYING AT THE HOTEL NEXT TO SCENE OF ATTACK, CAROLINA MAYO, SAYING: "The policemen were there and asked us to leave the hotel and not to run but walk very, very fast all the streets until we arrive to a point that I can't remember. We stayed there for about 10 minutes and then suddenly a man came to us and told us that he had a bar and told us you can come with me and stay in my bar, you will be warm there because people from the hotel were without shoes. A lot of children and people in pyjamas... I can't describe the feelings." VARIOUS OF GROUPS OF ARMED POLICE ENTERING SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON BRIDGE RESIDENT WHO HEARD ATTACK FROM HIS FLAT, JAMES MORRISON, SAYING: "Obviously a lot of the bars, and where we lunch around Borough Market and stuff is very, very close to home. It is very real. So you hear about Manchester and you hear about Westminster and they are slightly further removed but when it is this close and with this level of frequency of the attacks happening, it is very hard hitting, yes." FLOWERS LAID AT MAKESHIFT SHRINE / POLICE VAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) LONDON RESIDENT AND JAMES MORRISON'S GIRLFRIEND WAS AT HIS PLACE, MEG GOULDING, SAYING: "Not knowing the scale of it was scary for a start because you could hear the amount of sirens and cars and helicopters. You weren't sure at first, reading the news, if the people who had done it were still not caught." POLICE / FORENSICS AT SCENE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MUSLIM LEADER, KAHLIL YOUSEF, SAYING: "Last night, when they should have been in Isha prayers or Tarawih prayers last night, in the month of Ramadan, they were out here murdering people. No matter what your concerns are, no matter what your grievances are, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that justifies this sort of behaviour." FLOWERS AT MAKESHIFT SHRINE / ARMED POLICE VARIOUS OF FLOWER BOUQUETS
- Embargoed: 18th June 2017 20:06
- Keywords: flowers forensics police eyewitnesses attack London Bridge security Britain
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA0016JV4J0N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The area surrounding London Bridge station and nearby Borough Market remained closed throughout Sunday (June 4), following an attack that saw three assailant ram a hired van into pedestrians on the bridge and the stab others nearby, killing seven people and injuring 48.
The attack, which happened late on Saturday (June 3) as revellers enjoyed a night out in one of London's busiest areas, occurred five days before a parliamentary election and was the third to hit Britain in less than three months.
Police shot dead the three male assailants in the Borough Market area near London Bridge within eight minutes of receiving the first emergency call shortly after 10 p.m. (2100 GMT).
Mark Rowley, head of counter-terrorism police, said eight officers had fired about 50 bullets to stop the attackers, who appeared to be suicide bombers because they were wearing what turned out to be fake suicide vests.
Eyewitnesses spoke of the chaos following the attack but also of the swift action taken by the emergency services. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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