Terrorists have carried out co-ordinated attacks on the public transport system in central London - killing at least 37 people and seriously wounding scores of others. In an emergency statement to MPs, the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, said there'd been at least four explosions during the morning rush-hour. The first was on a tube train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street stations, the second on a bus in Woburn Place, the third attack occurred on an Underground train between Russell Square and King's Cross, and the fourth on a tube train at Edgware Road station. | "Ultimately light always, always, always triumphs over darkness." | | Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans |
We've been getting reactions throughout the day from local people caught up in events in London. Almighty bang Marina Berry from Borehamwood was on one of the trains. "I was on the Kings Cross train and we were going through the tunnel to Russell Square at some speed" she said. "Then we just stopped and there was a huge almighty bang and everyone just jumped and was screaming. "The carriages just filled up with thick black smoke and everybody was choking. It was really cramped because it was rush hour and it was unbelievable. "Everybody was fighting to get out and the doors weren't opening" she continued. "The alarms weren't working when they were pulled. People were trying to smash the windows and doors to get out and they were cutting themselves. The more they smashed the glass the more smoke came in and people just couldn't breathe. It was terrible. "We were stuck under there for 45 minutes before firemen escorted us through the tunnel back to Kings Cross where we were helped up onto the platform and out. People were hysterical up there." Panicking She said that the events brought out different reactions from people. "Some people were really helpful and were trying to calm people down" she said. "In my carriage the people around me were chatty. They were trying to take our minds off it even though it was filled with smoke and they were choking as they spoke. "Meanwhile in the next carriage people were screaming and shouting out "We're going to die" and obviously panicking other people." Suzie Powell was also on one of the trains which exploded. She went back into the tunnel to help people, and told us she was met with a horrific scene. "I'm pretty certain there were at least two people who died in that carriage and there were broken legs and people bleeding from the head" she said. "As we walked back down the track there were two bodies outside of the train. I don't know how they got outside of the train." Another eyewitness Andy was in Russell Square. "I was literally just going into Russell Square and it was absolute chaos" he said. "There was a loud bang and lots of smoke and people running absolutely everywhere. It was absolutely manic." Michael Abbot from Flitwick was heading into London. He said people were not panicking at Kings Cross. "There was no major panic or anything like that" he revealed. "People decided to either walk to their offices or work from home." Police Meanwhile Bedfordshire Police dispatched police officers and specially trained search dogs to the railway stations in Bedford and Luton as well as Luton Airport. A marked car also went on patrol on the M1, to provide reassurance to travellers. Deputy Chief Constable Martin Stuart said that local people should have no cause for alarm. "There is absolutely no indication of a threat to the communities of Bedfordshire" he said. "Or indeed any threat to our main transport infrastructure." Take stock Christopher Herbert, the Bishop of St Albans, explained how we can try and move forward despite it being difficult to make sense of events. "I do not doubt for a minute that the attacks were absolutely evil" he said. "There's no other word for it because they are so random, so pointless and so cruel. "When it comes to something as evil as this we need to just take stock of what it's about. What we must try to do is look at the sheer heroism and professionalism of the emergency services and recognise that the human spirit is also capable of great heroism and great nobility. "In the end it's a matter of personal choice - how we decide to live in our world. And I can only think in a rather simple way really that we either opt to work for what is good or we're going to side with what is evil and the choice is pretty stark. "It's about working for the good and that means having respect for all people. It means trying not to develop stereotypes of people and demonise people. "It means recognising that if we commit ourselves to live compassionately, that is the way to live. And have the grit and determination that says no matter what evil throws at us we shall not be beaten by it. And that ultimately light always, always, always triumphs over darkness." Condemn Zafar Khan is a Muslim and the Chair of the Luton Council of Faiths. He condemned the acts, after an Islamist Web site posted a statement - purportedly from al-Qaeda - claiming it was behind the attacks. "Al-Quaeda does not represent Muslims and Al-Quaeda, it seems, does not represent the overwhelming majority of Muslim sentiment or the Islamic world" he said. "It seems that Al-Quaeda is on its own. "Muslims in this country as well as Muslims elsewhere condemn this act and similar acts unequivocally. Any sane person anywhere in the world would condemn something like this when it is targetting innocent people. "We must stand firm against this kind of action wherever they are from. This has to be categorically condemned. "The only way I believe we can fight this is by showing our resolve that we will not submit to this kind of callous and cowardly action." Listen to the full interviews with Bishop Herbert and Zafar Khan using the links on the right. | 
