A series of co-ordinated bomb blasts have hit central London today, at the height of the morning rush hour. The most recent confirmed toll is 37 people killed, although this number is likely to rise. 700 people have been injured.
The police casualty number is 0870 1566344, although police request that you try calling any friends or family members you're concerned about first. The mobile networks, we're seeing, are coming back up for normal use, so you might now be able to get through.
Tell us your experiences by emailing us at
newsblog.london@gmail.com. Read other's accounts here.
Updates to this blog post have now finished, although the rest of Newsblog remains active. You'll find the latest news coverage on our front page.
1810 It has been a terrible day here in London, and our thoughts are with the victims, their family and friends. Thanks for all your messages of support and solidarity, some of which we've put up here.
After more than seven hours of coverage here, the grim truth of the situation is becoming clear, and it's time for us to wrap up this rolling news post. We'll continue to update the blog - in fresh posts - if and when things develop this evening.
Of course, overnight our news team will continue to bring you complete coverage of events, and reaction - keep an eye on our front page for the latest. And do keep sending us your experiences at
newsblog.london@gmail.com
1642 Our media site has a roundup of what some other bloggers have been saying about today's terrible events.
1630 Londoners are now streaming home on foot - we can see them outside the Guardian offices here in Farringdon road. The scenes are somewhat reminiscent of those after 9/11, when New Yorkers flowed out of Manhattan across the Brooklyn bridge. Mainline stations are now open, but the tube remains closed until this evening at least.
1545 In the press conference, we learn a little more about the initial confusion that gripped the city earlier today. Tube boss Tim O'Toole says the sudden succession of blasts caused the earlier "power surge" rumours - the tube control room thought that was the only thing that could cause such a co-ordinated set of failures across the network. In fact, the tube's power supply is intact - they could run a full service now, although that's not likely to happen for some time yet. He also says he's enormously proud of his staff, who "did a difficult job and did it well".
1538 Still at the press conference. London Underground's Tim O'Toole confirms "the system is now clear", which means everyone's out. The train under King's Cross took the longest time to clear - as Londoners know, it's the deepest and most claustrophobic of the lines affected today.
1531 The press conference finally opens. First, the Police casualty bureau now open: 0870 1566344. Then we get a timeline of events this morning:
0851: First incident between Moorgate and Liverpool St. An explosion hits the train 100 yards from Liverpool St, in the tunnel. There are seven fatalities.
0856: The second blast happens on a tube train between King?s Cross and Russell Square. 21 are confirmed dead.
0917: A third blast, this one at Edgware Road. It was powerful enough to blow a hole into another train, with three trains in all involved. Five dead.
0947: The fourth blast, this time on a bus in Tavistock Place. There are no numbers on fatalities from this attack.
There was no warning, and no claims of responsibility yet.
DAC Brian Paddick: "This was clearly a callous attack on purely innocent members of public clearly designed to kill and injure members of the public."
1513 Respect MP George Galloway says: "We argued, as did the security services in this country, that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically Londoners have now paid the price of the Government ignoring such warnings."
1503 That news conference has been delayed. But we are hearing that Victoria, Euston and Paddington stations have re-opened this afternoon. St Pancras and Liverpool Street could also reopen soon. The only station likely to remain shut before tonight's rush-hour is the non-suburban (ie - Intercity) bit of King's Cross. The tube, of course, remains completely closed.
1500 We're expecting a news conference on today's events to begin shortly. We'll have live coverage here.
1424 Suddenly, the terrible scale of today's attack becomes clear. Ambulance sources, reported on Sky, suggest 23 people have been killed at King's Cross, nine at Edgware road, seven at Aldgate, two at Russell Square. There are hundreds - possibly more than a thousand - injured. We're trying to verify the numbers.
1420 London Transport confirms the bus hit by one of today's bombs was a number 30, travelling from Hackney to Marble Arch.
1415 At least three double decker buses have been bringing injured people to the Royal London hospital, which now says it has treated 208 people. The air ambulance - a helicopter - has been carrying those more seriously injured.
1400 We're now getting a slighly better picture of the numbers of injured. There are reports of 183 injured at the Royal London Hospital. 123 have been released. Of those remaining, eight were said to be "critical", and several others were also seriously injured. As far as we know, a rescue operation is continuing King's Cross, where people are thought to be trapped, although we are not hearing much from there at the moment.
1323 The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, says: "London has been the target of a cowardly terrorist attack. Londoners have responded calmly and courageously.
"I commend the professionalism, courage of the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London staff, the Ambulance, Fire and other emergency services.
"Innocent people going from all of London's communities have been targeted by this indiscriminate attack. I urge Londoners from all of this city's diverse communities and faiths to support one another and stand together against terrorism."
1315 Tony Blair, flanked by George W Bush and Jacques Chirac, again condemns the attacks. [Photograph on Flickr]. Blair says: "We will not allow violence to change our societies or our values. Nor will we let it stop the work of this summit. We will continue our deliberations in the interests of a better world. Here at this summit, the world's leaders are striving to combat world poverty and save and improve human life. The perpetrators of today's attacks are intent on destroying life. The terrorists will not succeed... We shall prevail and they shall not."
1300 A packed House of Commons is hearing a statement from Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary. He expresses sympathy to friends and family of those who had died, and says four explosions are confirmed. One on a tube train between Aldgate and Liverpool Street, one on a bus, one in the tube at King?s Cross, another at Edgware Road.
The underground will remain closed for today at least. There are no buses operating in central London, with decision to reopen to be made later today. People are strongly advised not to travel into central London, with many mainline train companies cancelling services or terminating before the capital.
David Davis, the shadow home secretary, responds. He says thoughts and prayers on his side of the house are with injured, family and friends. He praises the emergency services.
He brands the bombings acts of "unspeakable depravity and wickedness.
"The whole house condemns them utterly. This is not just an attack on our capital, but also an attack on our way of life as a whole," he says.
1248 A Wikipedia entry on today's blasts has been started.
1240 A moblogged picture from one of the underground lines today.
1228 There's a still picture being circulated of the bus that was blown up in Tavistock Square today. It looks like all but the front two or three rows of the top deck have been blown away. It was a service bus not - it seems - a tourist bus, although there's so little of the thing left it's quite hard to say. We have no idea of how many people were on it.
1216 London Ambulance Service also says there are "many casualties and deaths" in today's blasts. There is a rescue operation continuing at King's Cross, where people appear to be trapped on the underground.
1212 There are now reports from the London Ambulance Service of an explosion in Leicester Square. Update Reader Rod Stanley emails in - he works near Leicester Square, and all is calm there. Thanks for that, Rod.
1211 BBC Monitoring says it has found a website with a brief statement, in which an al-Quaida-related organisation has claimed responsibility for today's blasts.
1210 A sombre Tony Blair has just issued a brief statement from Gleneagles. "It is particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa, the long term problems of climate change. It is also reasonably clear it is designed and aimed to coincide with the opening of the G8. There will be time later to talk about this.
"Our determination to defend our values and ways of life is greater than their desire to create death and destruction and impose extremism on the world. What ever they do it is our determination that they shall not succeed."
1150 It has been confirmed that two people have been killed at Aldgate station this morning.
1140 Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair is being quoted by PA as saying traces of explosives have been found at least one blast scene. He added the picture was still "very confused".
1130 Police at Aldgate Station say there are unconfirmed reports of two fatalities there, and nine seriously injured.
A PA report just in from Aldgate: "A 42-year-old man wept as he described what happened on the train. Terry O'Shea, a construction worker from Worcester, said: "I was in the third carriage, the one behind the one where the explosion was. There was a loud bang and we felt the train shudder. Then smoke started coming in to the compartment. It was terrible. People were panicking, but they calmed down after one or two minutes. As they led us down the track past the carriage where the explosion was, we could see the roof was torn off it, and there were bodies on the track."
Jack Linton, 14, suffered cuts to his face in the incident. Jack, from Hawkwell, Essex, who was on his way to work experience at a company, said: "The middle of the train was blown out and there were people on the track."
1120 Tony Blair will be making a live, televised statement on the crisis at midday. Sir Ian Blair, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, has told the BBC that there have been six explosions so far today, one on a bus. In what is clearly intended to be a calming message, he asks that Londoners stay where they are, do not call the emergency services unless there is a life-threatening situation, and promises there will be more information. London's emergency plan has kicked into action, and he says they are "returning order to the situation".
1110 PA is reporting fears of "many" dead after a series of what are now, patently, terrorist bomb blasts around the city. Eyewitness reports talk of terrible injuries, and "many fatalities".
1102 The pictures coming in from around the city are truly shocking. Down near Holborn there's a bus - possibly one of the big tourist buses that are a fixture on the London streets - with its top floor ripped apart. One report talks of the injured being operated on in the concourse at Liverpool Street station.
1055 There are now reports of another bomb going off - in Houndsitch, near Liverpool Street in the City of London.
1052 The FTSE has plunged 160 points, but Downing Street says rumours that Tony Blair is to return to London from Gleneagles are false.
1048 Home Secretary Charles Clarke has just appeared in front of Downing Street, talking of "dreadful" incidents, and "terrible injuries" in the explosions. He is sending sympathy to those individuals and families affected. The COBRA committee - the government's emergency response body - is meeting, as is the Cabinet.
1040 We're hearing that there's a train stuck between Liverpool Street and Aldgate, and that there are "a number of casualties" on that train.
1030 The situation so far: we are hearing of a bus explosion in the Holborn area - eyewitness accounts talk of the bus having its roof blown off. This casts some doubt on reports that "power surges" caused explosions at Aldgate, Old Street, Kings Cross, Russell Square and Edgware Road earlier this morning.
Around the city centre, everyone is walking. The tube is entirely closed down. Mainline trains are not coming into town, and members of staff arriving in the office say buses are not entering Zone 1 - the most central part of town, in which all today's explosions have taken place.
The first problems started at around 0850, when a series of explosions - blamed on power surges - rocked a series of stations in the centre of town. Tube lines started closing right after that.