UPDATE: Police have confirmed that three male suspects were shot and killed within eight minutes of the attacks. After hitting pedestrians on London Bridge in a white van, the three exited the vehicle with knives and stabbed a number of people in the Borough Market area. Police currently believe that only three attackers were involved.
London Ambulance now say that 30 people have been taken to hospitals across the city, while the Metropolitan Police say that the current number of casualties from the attacks is six, in addition to the three attackers.
Restaurant workers at Borough Market have described their fear at seeing multiple people stabbed during the fatal terrorist attack in central London overnight.
ambulances, sirens, terror… #LondonBridge attack pic.twitter.com/he8XetonTE
— Ana Gonçalves (@anagnclvs) June 4, 2017
One unidentified employee has told media that he saw “crazy” men enter the building, which was packed on a warm Saturday evening, and begin stabbing random bystanders.
The employee said that he saw at least three people stabbed before a gunfight broke out between police and the offenders. “Our door has holes, so the police went in one corner, and the guys went in another corner,” he said.
Another employee told media that he was behind the bar in a restaurant when he saw a knife-wielding man enter and begin “screaming”. The employee ran, but was stopped by a locked gate behind the restaurant.
“To be safe, I jumped down a big wall, like five metres,” he said. “Now I feel pain in my arm, I think it’s broken.”
One man was reportedly stabbed five times in the chest, and there are unconfirmed reports that a bystander was injured in the crossfire between police and the attackers.
Local resident Neal Tate recalled the sight of riot police yelling at and accosting men who appeared to be aged in their early 20s, on nearby Borough High Street. He said:
“At a glimpse, I would have said they were wearing black, kind of sports wear-ish tops. Average height, youngish men, slender frame. The police had been clearing people out of the area, so it seemed like there were some freaked out people, half clothed, still in PJs and stuff.”
Per a statement from London Ambulance, 20 people have been taken to six hospitals across the city. London police believe the current death toll stands at six:
AC Rowley confirmed “At this stage, we believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police.”
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 4, 2017
Our latest statement about the incident in #LondonBridge. We have taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London. pic.twitter.com/eDRdk48CBu
— London Ambulance (@Ldn_Ambulance) June 4, 2017
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the “cowardly and deliberate” attack in an official statement, saying:
“The Metropolitan Police are responding to the horrific terrorist attack at London Bridge and Borough Market. My thoughts are with everyone affected, and I’d like to thank the brave men and women of our emergency services who were first on the scene and will be working throughout the night. I am in close contact with the Met Commissioner and senior officers and am being kept updated on all developments. I will be attending the government’s emergency Cobra meeting later this morning. London Bridge Station is closed and we are asking people to avoid the area. The situation is still unfolding and I would ask all Londoners and visitors to our city to remain calm and vigilant. Please report anything suspicious to the police, but only call 999 in an emergency. We don’t yet know the full details, but this was a deliberate and cowardly attack on innocent Londoners and visitors to our city enjoying their Saturday night. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. There is no justification whatsoever for such barbaric acts.”
Photo: Getty.
