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Inquests shown aftermath video of 7 July train bombing | |
(40 minutes later) | |
The inquests into the 7 July suicide bombings in London have been shown footage of the aftermath of the attack on a train at Aldgate. | |
The emergency services video was taken hours after the attacks and shows the devastation caused to the train in the tunnel. | |
Seven passengers were killed at Aldgate. | |
Counsel to the inquests Hugo Keith QC said staff acted promptly to deal with the "horror that had occurred". | |
Four suicide bombers killed 52 people in co-ordinated attacks on London's transport network on 7 July 2005. | Four suicide bombers killed 52 people in co-ordinated attacks on London's transport network on 7 July 2005. |
Mr Keith said the Aldgate bomber, Shehzad Tanweer, had been standing in the second carriage when he detonated his device, hidden in a rucksack. | |
It blew a hole in the floor but the train continued moving a short distance before coming to a halt. | |
Mr Keith said the driver, Timothy Batkin, could hear the screams of passengers in the carriages behind him but his initial mayday calls went unanswered. | |
He eventually used his own mobile phone to raise the alarm. This was possible because the train was in a shallow section of the underground. | |
Hours after all the casualties were removed from the train, emergency services returned underground to video the scene. | |
The film shows a forensics officer, wearing blue gloves, walking along the rails to the abandoned train near Aldgate. | |
Carriage doors can be seen, blown out, with shattered glass from windows and the interior of the carriage completely wrecked. | |
Seats were destroyed, along with the roof, parts of the floor and handrails. | |
Each scene on the film shows the personal belongings of passengers, which had been left behind. | |
The Aldgate bomb detonated in a wide section of track, rather than a tight tunnel, which meant wreckage was strewn for some distance. | |
Families of the deceased were in court to see the video. | |
The video shown in court was heavily edited to minimise the distress but it was still clear that it was the scene of a major loss of life. | |
Earlier Mr Keith had detailed to the inquests a string of delays getting emergency services to the scene of each underground bomb attack. | |
He said the evidence seemed to suggest the emergency services struggled to establish the exact site of each bomb and faced serious difficulties communicating with each other once on site. | |
Rescue teams were using runners to pass messages between platforms and ground level. | |
But referring specifically to the scene at Aldgate, he said the driver, Mr Batkin, and staff on the platform acted quickly. | |
"Those on the scene acted promptly to respond and to notify the emergency services of the horror that had occurred," he said. | |
He said one of the emergency radio channels stopped working. | |
Mr Keith said this contributed to problems the emergency services had communicating with each other. | |
Mr Keith described events at Edgware Road station, where he said the first ambulance did not arrive until 9.13am, as a result of the location being wrongly given as Praed Street. | Mr Keith described events at Edgware Road station, where he said the first ambulance did not arrive until 9.13am, as a result of the location being wrongly given as Praed Street. |
Five minutes later - and 23 minutes after the explosion - the first fire engine arrived. | Five minutes later - and 23 minutes after the explosion - the first fire engine arrived. |
Mr Keith said at 9.21am a London ambulance crew called in to say they were running out of resources, saying: "It's chaos down here." | |
Coroner Lady Justice Hallett is examining how each victim died and whether MI5 could have stopped the bombers. Many families still want a public inquiry. | Coroner Lady Justice Hallett is examining how each victim died and whether MI5 could have stopped the bombers. Many families still want a public inquiry. |
In addition to those killed, some 700 people were injured, many of them severely and permanently, when four al-Qaeda-backed suicide bombers, all British men, detonated their devices. | In addition to those killed, some 700 people were injured, many of them severely and permanently, when four al-Qaeda-backed suicide bombers, all British men, detonated their devices. |
On Monday Mr Keith said bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain had unleashed an "unimaginably dreadful wave of horror". | On Monday Mr Keith said bombers Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain had unleashed an "unimaginably dreadful wave of horror". |
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