Seven injured as car bomb explodes in London

A suspected car bomb today exploded near Ealing Broadway station in west London, injuring seven people.

The device exploded near a pub around 100 metres from the Tube and railway station shortly after midnight.

Seven people were taken to hospital but none of the injuries was thought to be life threatening, according to hospital staff.

Scotland Yard confirmed it was treating the blast as a suspected car bomb.

A spokeswoman said: ‘‘A number of people were injured but we believe at this stage that they were mainly walking wounded.

All the emergency services were called to the site, which witnesses said was being cordoned off moments before the blast.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred near The Townhouse pub in Uxbridge Road, just as the area’s bars were emptying.

Schoolgirl Nikki Cox, 16, of Ealing, who was outside The Bell pub said: ‘‘Police began to cordon off the area. I asked them what they were doing and they said they were about to conduct a search.

‘‘Then about half a second later a car exploded. We heard a huge bang and felt the heat as it went off. All the glass from the shop windows just fell to the ground and people ran out of the pub. They all began to run towards the bomb not knowing where the explosion had come from. It was just a mass of panic.’’

Student Jagpreet Sidhu, 22, from south east London, saw the bomb go off while standing outside The Townhouse.

He said: ‘‘I felt a huge shockwave then literally saw a roll of flame coming towards us. All the shop windows smashed. We ducked and were thrown to the floor.’’

The British Prime Minister was informed of the blast while on his official visit to Mexico. A spokesman for Mr Blair appeared to link the explosion with the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

‘‘He believes violence of any kind is both wrong and pointless,’’ the spokesman said.

‘‘His sympathy is with the injured but he believes that the way forward in Northern Ireland can only be through dialogue and that is why the Government has put forward its proposals this week and hopes people will consider them in a calm and considered way.’’

A spokeswoman for Ealing Hospital said it had received seven casualties.

She understood the hospital had received all the people injured in the blast.

‘‘We have seven casualties but I can’t confirm their injuries,’’ said the spokeswoman.

‘‘They are still being assessed but none appear life threatening at this stage.

They have just arrived and we need to let the staff get on with that.’’

The hospital had not been put on major incident alert so far because of the relatively small number of casualties, she added.

The Ealing Broadway area is a mecca for young people from all over west London who are attracted to its various nightspots.

There are at least five pubs, several wine bars and cafes and two nightclubs in the area of the explosion.

Even on weeknights the streets are still crowded with visitors who can drink until the early hours under late licensing laws.