A sustained gunfight with terrorists, not that that happened this time, but if it did. And they have changed procedures to be able to. Moving vehicle. Before, they had the it gives you an indication of the it gives you an indication of the level of Training Offices are going through to deal with things like this. People having to get used to these attacks, paris, nice, the list goes on . The police have said very little, perhaps a little less, met police, when parliament was attacked by khalid masood. They have said they need people to remain calm, vigilant and alert and they have put out the advice about being aware of whats going on, running from the scene, if something is happening, hiding and telling the police, reporting what is going on, thats very important so theyve put that advice out. It shows they are trying to get those messages out. Quite dramatic advice . , yes and quite dramatic advice . , yes and quite dramatic advice . , yes and quite dramatic advice but thoughtful. The advice in the states is sometimes different, it involves Fighting Back ina different, it involves Fighting Back in a situation like that, that is on the advice here, the advice is get out of the area, tell police but if you cant, id. It shows that they wa nt to you cant, id. It shows that they want to get the message across directly to the public hide. The way Police Koeman occasions work now is to work directly with social media communicates and work now. Talk directly to the public and hope people get on with their lives while this awful stuff happens around them. Tom symonds, our Home Affairs Correspondent with me. Let me show you the scene. Its a pretty empty road here, not too far from you the scene. Its a pretty empty road here, not too farfrom London Bridge and Borough Market, you might be able to see the flashing police lights, a number of Police Vehicles down there and a number of Police Cordon is sealing off this whole area of london where these apparent Terror Attacks have happened. We are hearing that one person has been killed at least and at least 20 people have been injured and taken to half a dozen hospitals. If you are worried about friends or relatives, i have a Police Casualties Bureau Number that you can ring. It is 0800 0961233. Or alternatively 0207158 0917. If you are worried about friends and relatives who you think have been caught up in this apparent Terror Attack. That is how its been described. Cobra, the emergency government committee, will meet in the coming hours, theresa may, the prime minister, has already described it as potentially an act of terrorism, there doesnt seem much doubt that is what it was. Evandro even at high speed across London Bridge, hitting pedestrians deliberately a van driven. On a Saturday Night Out In London hitting passers by. A number of people getting out of the van, maybe two, three, four, weve heard different accou nts three, four, weve heard different a ccou nts of three, four, weve heard different accounts of how many, but then enrolling with knives and carrying out Knife Attacks on people in the Borough Market area. Lets talk to one eyewitness. On the line is Vilwar Hussain who was driving home from his mosque when he came upon London Bridge. Tell us what happened. I was actually On My Way Home before i was actually On My Way Home before i was heading to the mosque for evening prayers. I was at monument station, at the junction there, and i saw the vehicle had crossed from the south side of London Bridge onto the south side of London Bridge onto the northside and its begun to do a Vehicle U Turn back on to London Bridge so that initially caught my attention because youre not allowed to do attention because youre not allowed todoa attention because youre not allowed to do a u turn there so when he began to do a u turn and there it caught my attention. The van was a few vehicles in front of me so i came on to London Bridge after he did. Once he got on to London Bridge he came onto the pavement, ran people over, went on to the road and within a fraction of a second went onto the pavement again, ran over more people and then he onto the barriers in front of southwark cathedral. The van. You were very close, as you were saying, very close, as you were saying, very close to the van and it was being driven at what sort of speed would you say . Something around 40 mph to 50 mph, could have been more than that. Initially when i saw the van i thought it was a drunk driver. |j think you took some pictures, some video of the van. Described what you filmed . Once the van had crossed the pavement where it was driving at the time, the men began to get out of the vehicles and at that point i stopped beside one of the casualties on the bridge, the person was com pletely on the bridge, the person was completely unconscious and wasnt breathing at the time. I saw people had already attended to him. There we re had already attended to him. There were about four serious casualties on the bridge. Then i went towards the van to see what was going on there. When i got to the van i saw there. When i got to the van i saw the doors were open and i saw server all open bottles of alcohol. Several. Whoever was driving at the timejumped several. Whoever was driving at the time jumped down towards the Borough Market down the steps and i noticed that there were another three casualties at a restaurant. How many casualties at a restaurant. How many casualties do you think were caused by the van hitting people as it was being driven across London Bridge . How many do you think it hit . There we re how many do you think it hit . There were four people. Definitely more people were hit but i saw four people were hit but i saw four people on the ground unconscious. Then i saw another three people who had been stabbed in front of southwark cathedral. What is going through your mind now, you were so close to this attack . Im really shocked. What shocked me the most, what happened after that. As soon as the incident happened at 10 07pm i called the police and i was speaking to the police saying i went to the van. Armed officers were there right by the scene and the police began to evacuate the area and one of the officers asked me to return to my vehicle and evacuate the area. When i got into my car i tried to drive away but the police had already called and off the area, thats when i got out of my vehicle and within a minute or so i got out of my vehicle and within a minute orsoi i got out of my vehicle and within a minute or so i heard two shots being fired cordoned. At that point i was on London Bridge road. Thats behind the station. Maybe 30 seconds after hearing the gunshots fired i saw the police carrying another Police Officer who had been shot and they were carrying the officer towards me on London Bridge road. They were carrying the officer towards me on London Bridge roadm from what you understand that was a Police Officer who had been shot . He was wearing a police jacket. He had a badge on the jacket as well. I saw Police Officers carrying him to Guys Hospital and im sure hes a Police Officer because someone was shouting one of your officers has been shot. And so in terms of how long the whole incident took, how many minutes would you save from when you first noticed that white van doing the u turn that caught your attention to the end . How long was that time period . It wouldnt be more than two minutes. But you think a large number of casualties were caused by that attack . Definitely a large amount of casualties. Koke, thank you very much, Vilwar Hussain, an eyewitness, as Vilwar Hussain was telling us, very close to the van as it began the attack on London Bridge and then men inside it appears got out of the van and carried out Knife Attacks. John stokes was on London Bridge on a bus when the attack happened. A little while ago he told my colleague Duncan Golestani what he had seen. We were approaching London Bridge with the bus and i was preparing the tourists on the bus to get their cameras out to get a photo of tower bridge from London Bridge. As we were coming the bridge the driver and i noticed two taxis on the left hand side and someone lying on the pavement. And we just assumed that perhaps that person may have been accidentally knocked over or something. As we continued along the bridge at a slow pace like we always do, we spotted another person lying on the pavement and we became a bit alarmed with that and then a third person and we started to think well, maybe it may have been a gang fight, because i know that area does have a few gangs. Then when we saw a few more people lying down and people running up towards them we were quite concerned and eventually we had to stop the bus halfway across the bridge because the traffic had come to a stop. There were no police at the time we arrived. We are assuming it must have happened within two or three minutes prior to us arriving on the bridge. I attempted to call 999 and the police did arrive within about five minutes after we stopped the bus. And then sometime later there were lots and lots of police cars racing down to the bridge as well as ambulances and then someone in uniform came up to our bus and knocked on the door and told everyone on the bus to run. So all of the tourists on our bus ran for their lives and we lost track of them because i was trying to muster them together. We were all told to go to the far end of the bridge. Not the Borough Market end but the other end, towards the monument. And then what we noticed was that most of The Blue Light seemed to be in the vicinity of Borough Market so our driver lynne and i assumed that whatever or whoever it was was happening right there outside Borough Market. We saw a few people being given cpr by. I dont know who it was, doctors, im not sure, it certainly was not people in uniform. And thats it. So we had to leave our bus there. Our driver lindas now gone home and i just arrived home about two minutes ago. We were unable to move our bus because it is part of the area of the crime scene for a so, yeah, our bus is there and we dont know how long it will be staying there for, possibly a few days. We are glad you are safe, even if your bus is there. You say you saw people being treated in the road. Have you any idea of the number, how many people were affected . I counted eight. Eight people . Lynne and i saw eight people lying down on the pavement. Some looked like they were lying on the actual road, rather than on the pavement itself, on the road itself. The problem is she was concentrating on her driving and i had a microphone in my hand so i took my attention off my guiding and i was trying to do two things at once, find out what was happening around us and then the people upstairs on the bus were all peering over the side of the bus and they saw all the people lying there. We came to a stage where a lot of the ladies on the bus and some of the children were actually crying and then we we re told to run so everybody ran and thats it. Ivejust got home now and i dont know when we will get our bus back. What was the sense of urgency from the Police Officer . You say they were banging on the bus door, did you get the sense that you needed to run for your life or they just wanted you out of the area to deal with the situation . I thought perhaps it might have been a car bomb, explosives, around. They we re a car bomb, explosives, around. They were trying to get us out of the area for our own sake. I do know that when we got to the other end of the bridge where we were told to go. A policeman walked past me with a sniffer dog so i am assuming that the dog was probably sniffing for explosives. So that is about all i know, having been on the bus, so i probably dont know quite as much as what the people on the pavement. No, your account is very vivid. You touched on it earlier, john, presumably you had tourists on this bus. To suddenly encounter injured people on the road and on the pavement and then have officers banging on the door in telling you to run, what was the reaction, not only your reaction but the reaction of your guests . Honestly i was more concerned about our guests because i dont flap so easily, but this guy was banging so hard, he probably made the situation worse because, you know, he was banging on the door and saying run run, run move, move so i said to the people that in the bus that they needed to get off and they heard shouting and, you know, some of the women and children were crying and, i mean, they were from All Over The World and they were standing on my bus looking at all of these bodies lying all over the place. It was a shocking sight for people on holiday and on top of one of londons most iconic bridges. London bridge is known All Over The World, so it. I dont know what to say because it is so weird. I remember 9 11. We were on London Bridge as well when 9 11 happened and many of the americans were getting phone calls on their cellphones and they were saying things like oh, my god, oh, my god. And all these years later, another situation on the same bridge. It is unbelievable. Clearly very upsetting and we appreciate you speaking to us here on bbc news. That was eyewitness john stokes earlier one. The latest casualties. Wine at least is dead. At least 20 people taken to hospitals in the london area. One person. This is what we know so far. Just after ten oclock local time, a white van swerved off the road at London Bridge several times into pedestrians. The bridge was closed by police. A number of pedestrians we re by police. A number of pedestrians were hit. As i said, at least one person is feared dead and at least 20 injured. The bbc was told police we re 20 injured. The bbc was told police were looking for at least three suspects. Not long after that, there we re suspects. Not long after that, there were reports of stabbing is taking place in Borough Market. Police say the incident that London Bridge and Borough Market are being treated as terrorism. We have been given a casualty Bureau Number. If you fear someone you know has been caught up in this Terror Attack on London Bridge and Borough Market. 0800 096 1233. The bridge and Borough Market. 0800 0961233. The alternative is 0207 158 0197. We have another eyewitness. Eric. He told us this. I was on the south side of the bridge and, literally, the van was on the wrong side of the road and my first thought was that the brakes had failed because he was going quickly across the wrong side of the road. I will interrupt that. We have a police statement. Contact the casualty bureau, 0800 0961233. If you are worried about somebody in the area, 0800 0961233. Looking forward , the area, 0800 0961233. Looking forward, we are of course reviewing the situation across london. In the following days, there will be more Police Resources across the country. I ask people to be vigilant and contact the police if they have concerns. Is this incident com pletely concerns. Is this incident completely over now . The current belief is that there were three attackers. This is early on. We still have enquiries to be com pletely still have enquiries to be completely confident. There were three attackers in the vehicle. Are they the same . It is a protracted event that starts on the bridge and endedin event that starts on the bridge and ended in Borough Market where we believe three people were involved. But there is still more work to be done. Can you tell us more about the attacks and where people were killed . You are asking a lot. It is a complex seen, as you can understand from what i said. Explosives have been ruled out, though they were expected at once stage. Can you tell us what will be needed to bring down these terrorists . We have strengthened the Police Presence in recent years. Armed response vehicles are driving through london day in and day out to protect the public. They responded very quickly and killed the attackers and they are dead to be that is it. Thank you. The statement from the police giving out the casualty numbers. Six people have died in this attack on London Bridge and are market. Police believed there were three attackers. Six dead and three attackers. We know at least 20 people have been taken to know at least 20 people have been ta ken to about know at least 20 people have been taken to about half a dozen hospitals in the area. This attack that unfolded shortly after ten oclock this evening local time on London Bridge, we have been hearing from eyewitnesses there was a white van which did a u turn and swerved a couple of times, maybe more, and Hit Pedestrians on London Bridge. Then the attackers, it seems three, according to the police, got out of the white van after it had crashed at the end of London Bridge, and then ran out and started stabbing people in the area, just passers by. And 20 people are in hospital, at least 20 people, and six dead, is the death toll we are now hearing in this latest Terror Attack to hit the United Kingdom. We have an eyewitness we can talk to now on the line. Richard semple. Thank you for being with us. Can you tell us what you saw and heard this evening . We were having a drink in the Southwark Tavern after an event in the shard. It was 20 to ten. Prior to that, just before we left, there was a bit of commotion. Some people we re was a bit of commotion. Some people were quite at that. A couple of girls were quite upset. Naturally, saturday night, we thought it is probably time for us to go. As we left, we went out onto the street, and it was quite busy. It had been raining but it had stopped. We walked towards the station. You can walked towards the station. You can walk to the station from the shard. That is when we saw a guy coming towards us who was absolutely covered in blood. Literally. His shirt was absolutely drenched in blood. That was fairly traumatic for us. He had been stabbed, slashed, whatever, with knives. We thought at that point we really need to get out of there. Many people were thinking the same thing. People were panicking around the place. We got to the station. I saw a fellow looking back over his shoulder. I asked what happened. He said some quy asked what happened. He said some guy out there was randomly stabbing people with a knife. At that point, me and my wife and a couple of friends, we decided we really needed to get out of their quickly. And at that point, six or seven shots or rounds started going off, which really created an air of panic in the vicinity. People started running. I turned around to have a look, because its under professional with the rounds going off. It sounded like, you know, a Police Incident rather than random gunmen or anything. I turned around to satisfy my curiosity, i suppose. It seems to come to a close. The Random Stabbers seemed dead. There was nothing to see. Lots of sirens and blue lights. I headed off to catch up with the party towards the shard. It was a real sense of panic. People were running around the area to get out as soon as possible. We got to the shard and they took us in. And all the people that were at the event was staying at the hotel and they were told firmly to stay put. And they put us up. That is where we stayed for the next 2 3 hours. The whole thing was fairly traumatic. And now that you know exactly what happened, what is going through your mind that you were so close to this Terror Attack which it appears we have been hearing from the police has left six people dead . Yeah. Well, it is an amazing feeling. You realise you have been closed to something and you are very lucky. Very close. It has not struck us as it has some others. We did not know about the van incident on the bridge at that time. All we we re on the bridge at that time. All we were thinking about at that time was a random man with a knife. It is a horrible, horrible thing. And, yeah, we we re horrible, horrible thing. And, yeah, we were glad to be well away from it. But at the same time, it is a horrendous thing for the people and families who have been the victim of this. And the shots that you heard, i think you heard half a dozen, you said. Are you pretty clear they were shot fired by police . Said. Are you pretty clear they were shot fired by police . |j said. Are you pretty clear they were shot fired by police . I dont know. It was a very big fire six or seven shots that were released very quickly. It was very professional. That is what made me turn around and have a look. It made me think the police had dealt with the incident. So, umm, yeah, i could not say for certain, but its sounded very professional. And the man you saw who you described as having blood on his shirt, he was a sort of running down the streets. Was it clear how he had been stabbed, where he had been stabbed . He had been stabbed, where he had been stabbed . No, i mean, hejust looked. He was covered. He was literally covered in blood. And he was kind of running, staggering, down the road. Yeah, yeah. And, just again, your thoughts, a horrendous night in central london. Yeah. Absolutely. We have travelled from cornwall this weekend for a weekend in london. And it isjust unimaginable that it has happened while we are here. It is not about us, but that it is a constant threat in major cities. The people of london i guess have to live with this on a daily basis. We have had a short taste of it and it is horrendous. Horrendous. All right. Thank you so much for talking to us. Richard semple. The Police Telling us in a human is that six people have lost their lives us in the last few minutes. At least 20 people have been injured and they are being treated in six hospitals in the London Bridge area. Hello. This is bbc news, with special coverage from the Police Cordon in central london, close to London Bridge and Borough Market where there has been a Terror Attack in there has been a Terror Attack in the last three hours, the latest Terror Attack to hit the United Kingdom a few days after the bomb attack at the Magister Arena that left 22 killed. Magister arena. Manchester arena. We know that six people have been killed and this is what we know so far just after 10pm local
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