Explosion heard in London

[Zoid]

Originally posted by Dissident


yeah but it doesn't represent the economic power of the U.S. (like New York City).

I really didn't think we'd be well known in scandinavia. But you have heard of us.

And London represents the economic power of England.

It seems unlikely we'll see terrorist attacks anywhere other than London, New York City, and Washington (not including bad areas such of Iraq of course). Unless they change their strategy and focus.

I guess you´re right. Alltough Las Vegas is the pinnacle of debauchery in the western civilization, it´s not a likely target.
And we have at least 5 TV-shows on various channels that takes place in Vegas

[Solly]

Originally posted by Dr Zoidberg


Yes, seeing the bus wreck on the news 2 dead almost seems like divine intervention...

Have we seen any walking wounded from it? Survivors? Given that the buses were packed due to the tube being closed, I would estimate at least 100 people would have been on it.

[Laertes]

Metropolitan Police just confirmed that there are more than 50 dead and that they are still recovering uncounted bodies from the tube (not sure which one - I think KX).

They have no clues to say it was definitely suicide bombers or remote detonation or anything, nor any evidence pointing to the perpetrators.

The level of organisation of the emergency services was amazing - by stopping all the transport services and traffic they were able to get help where needed asap.

I was in Central London as usual yesterday, came into Victoria terminal (n the SW of the city) just as the bombs were going off elsewhere. Fortunately I dont use the tube in the morning, and lucky for me and most of my family and colleagues that the north and east of the city were targeted rather than the south and west.

[Solly]

I really am struggling to understand the lack of announcements on the bus.

[Laertes]

It seems strange that they are not clear on the casualties. I think from memory a packed bus holds about 80 people.

[Solly]

It seems strange that they are not clear on the casualties.

Maybe it had breached capacity?

Maybe the bomber was the bus driver?

[MikeH]

Originally posted by Park Avenue


Have we seen any walking wounded from it? Survivors? Given that the buses were packed due to the tube being closed, I would estimate at least 100 people would have been on it.

Double decker capacity is about 75 including standing depending on the configuation inside. And that's absolutely rammed.

[Laertes]

I can only think that the "bodies" are not identifiable as such. The police did say that the fact that the blast was in the open, with some of the evidence 20 feet up in the air stuck into the surrouding buildings, was making it difficult. They think the bomb was either on the floor or a seat of the bus

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by Park Avenue


Have we seen any walking wounded from it? Survivors? Given that the buses were packed due to the tube being closed, I would estimate at least 100 people would have been on it.

From the bbc linkabove that Jaft posted, it quotes a doctor saying he'd been told at the site of the incident by ambulance staff that they had definately 10 dead on the bus. Still even on the bbc news this morning they are still saying 2 dead? So its difficult to tell.

Still a packed bus cant be good for low casulty figures

I met up with my gf yesterday(she works near victoria) - told her to take a taxi to come to my place of work, to avoid public transport. We walked back home, took about 1h 30mins from my work place. We took the scenic route(basicaly the way i cycle to work), lots of quiet back streets etc.
It was a weird journey back, the parts where we were walking with other people very calm, strangely calm. And i also agree with one of Lazurus's earlier posts. I'd been expecting this for some time - and am just so thankfull it wasn't as huge as i feared.

Not that that is any comfort what so ever for those that lost loved ones

It could have been so much worse. I remember shortly after 9/11 and after Iraq, when travelling on the tubes i was looking around. As i saw all the tourists and travellers with bags and backpacks it just dawned on me that here was a disaster waiting to happen. No checks on bags at all - unbelievable really. So six months back i decided to sack the tube all together, one its cheaper to go by bus, or healthier to cycle.

I remember mentioning my fears for the underground in the letter i sent to Tony Blair after we joined America going into Iraq(which i still dont agree with, but thats for other threads).
I basicaly wrote in the letter, that unless we increased security on the tube it was going to be a prime target that his actions were helping increase etc(i did get a reply from their press office, half agreeing with my concerns).

Ok it would be an inconvieniance for commuters, people would have to start their journeys earlier etc.

But i cant help feel that those people who are no longer with us, and the badly injured would have wished that something had been put in place - we would have got used to the inconvieniance by now.

Most of my staff and friends were ok thank god - but i still feel terrible for those caught up in it. London will get on as normaly as possible, but i find it hard not thinking about the tragic deaths of those people, and hope the people that carry out these evil acts realise the ultimate futility of the actions.

As the IRA found - actions like these dont win you any supporters amongst the people you commit the terror on.

[Barinthus]

I saw a photograph of an aftermath of one of those double decker buses.

There were a large amount of blood splattered on an overpassing bridge, on its side. Looks like about 20 feet above the ground

[MikeH]

You can't search three million people a day on the tube it's impractical and would cost a fortune.

[Dauphin]

It wouldn't acheive anything anyway, aside from shifting the attack onto buses, pubs, thoroughfares, piazzas, bridges....etc

[child of Thor]

Originally posted by MikeH
You can't search three million people a day on the tube it's impractical and would cost a fortune.

You wouldn't have to. Change the way people take luggage to work. Have sniffer dogs at random sections where people with large bags have to slide them through those 'bag post holes'.

Encourage people to leave as much stuff at work as posible that they normaly carry around with them. So you would only be checking the larger bags, and aiming to get people to just carry less on them when using the tube. It would be slower, but with some practise i think entirely possible to increase security in this way, and it would just become normal as people get used to it. The fact that there was no checks in place what so ever i find pretty pathetic, and asking for trouble. I just think its worth a shot, and better than nothing.

And @ Dauphin, i just found the lack of pro-active security around London very bizare. After 9/11 the only place where i can actualy see an increase in security has been in the airports. Just by the police being seen as visably doing something could scare off an attack, as it would make the terrorists more nervous to try. As i said better something visable than nothing imho.

Anyway, i'm not laying balme - i'm just trying to find answers to the situation we find ourselves in. As i said i stopped using the tube a while back because of my concrns over its non-security. Sadly most people didnt as well - to put presure on them to do something.

[lightblue]

I am guessing the bus fatalities will add up to double figures, I guess those close to explosion might not have been identifiable as whole bodies, so they don't know how many they got.

[lightblue]

If you check too much you end up with noone using public transport anymore because of the inconvenience. And as said, you don't have to suicide bomb in a tube train, Leicester Square on a summer evening would be at least as effective and no way to control that.