Awaaz - South Asia Watch News

He said there was "great difficulty in determining how many fatalities" there had been because of damage at the scenes. There were 700 casualties, of whom 350 were taken to hospital and 22 are still in a critical condition, he added. One person died in hospital.

The commissioner said there was no indication at present that yesterday's rush-hour attacks had been caused by suicide bombers, "although nothing at this stage can be ruled out".

The commissioner said that the casualty bureau had already received 104,000 calls about the quadruple bombings of three trains and a bus in locations around central London.

Anti-terrorist branch head Andy Hayman said each of the bombs contained less then 10lbs of high explosives and they were probably placed on the floor or, in the case of the bus, on the floor or a seat.

The coordinated attacks brought chaos to London as the tube network was closed for the whole day, forcing many commuters to walk home.

Emergency services rushed to east, west and central London as the bombs went off in sequence and without warning over a 50-minute period. The first device exploded at 8.51am on a Circle line train between Aldgate East and Liverpool Street stations, killing at least seven people.

At 8.56am a second device exploded on a train between King's Cross and Russell Square, killing at least 21 people. At 9.17am there was another blast on a train at Edgware Road station which blew a hole through a wall into another train on an adjoining platform.

Two other trains were affected and at least seven people were killed. At 9.47am a fourth blast blew the top off a doubledecker bus in Tavistock Square, central London, possibly killing more than a dozen people.

As the emergency operation swung into operation, the tube and bus network was shut down and ordinary Londoners began a desperate effort to help the terrified and the injured. Passengers, their faces bloodied, blackened and cut, were comforted by underground staff and passers-by. Many rushed from offices and shops to help paramedics.

Witnesses described scenes of devastation. Geraldine Formon, who was in Russell Square, said: "I saw at least five people jump from the top deck of the bus. Half of it was blown away. They were jumping on to the street to escape. It was such a big explosion and the bus was packed as the tube was closed. People were covered with dust and debris."

Jackie Head, who was travelling on the King's Cross train, said the effect had been instantaneous. "Suddenly there was a massive bang, the train jolted. There was immediately smoke everywhere and it was hot and everybody panicked. People thought they were just going to suffocate." This morning transport returned to a semblance of normality, with most tube lines reopened and many bus and train services running.