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London terror attacks

London meets pain with defiance

As the death toll climbs, residents and leaders return to work - and even to the subway - the day after terrorists struck.

By wire services
Published July 9, 2005

LONDON - Deep inside a devastated, rat-infested tunnel near Russell Square, recovery crews reached the wreckage of a subway car and found more bodies. Above ground, relatives and friends of the missing visited hospitals and handed out photos, hoping their loved ones would turn up safe.

London struggled Friday to begin the difficult journey toward healing. Commuters cautiously returned to the subways, Muslims wary of a backlash held prayers and the fabled entertainment districts that canceled shows resumed performances.

As the investigation into a purported al-Qaida claim of responsibility progressed, police said the bodies of 49 people had been recovered. They said the number of deaths would rise from Thursday's explosions along three subway lines and on a double-decker bus.

Twenty-two people were in serious or critical condition, and many were reported missing in the tunnel near Russell Square. Crews reached the wreckage of that subway car and saw more bodies, police said. But it could take days to recover the bodies because the tunnel was damaged.

"This is an enclosed tunnel, and it is very difficult conditions and it's a bit dangerous," Deputy Chief Constable Andy Trotter said.

Authorities said there were no survivors in the tunnels.

Londoners, meanwhile, took buses, subways and taxis back to work in defiance of terrorists. Buses and trains ran normally, and only two of London's 12 underground subway lines remained out of service from Thursday's terror bombings.

"We will not be beaten down by terrorism," British Transport Police Chief Willie McCafferty said outside the King's Cross subway station.

As families tended to the injured and mourned the dead, relatives and friends of the missing spent another anxious day visiting hospitals and handing out photos - hoping their loved ones would turn up safe.

Much of London was eerily quiet. Bombed stations were shrouded in security curtains, and refrigerated trucks waited outside to take away bodies.

Bouquets of fresh flowers and cards scribbled with thoughts for the victims of London's worst attack since World War II piled up outside the Underground stations where the terrorists struck.

"Yesterday we fled this great city, but today we are walking back into an even stronger, greater city," said one card near St. Pancras Church, near where a bomb shredded the bus.

"The people who did this should know they have failed. They have picked the wrong city to pick on," it said. "London will go on."

Sir Ian Blair, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said no arrests have been made but officials have "lots and lots" of leads.

In Washington, current and former American counterterrorism officials said they were taking seriously an Internet claim by a little-known group calling itself the Secret Organization of al-Qaida in Europe that it staged the attacks.

A U.S. law enforcement official said authorities had vague information from Abu Farraj al-Libbi, reputedly No. 3 in the al-Qaida terror network, that al-Qaida was seeking to mount an attack similar to the 2004 train bombings in Madrid.

The London bombs each weighed less than 10 pounds and could be carried in a backpack, police said. Ten pounds is a relatively small bomb, although a blast's power depends more on the type of explosive than the amount.

The blasts hit the trains within 26 minutes, starting at 8:51 a.m. An explosion ripped the roof off the bus 56 minutes after the first bombing.

The bus driver said Friday he had been diverted from his route because of the subway explosions.

"There were thousands of people coming out of the Tube. There were many people who were trying to get on the bus at once," said 49-year-old George Psaradakis. "Suddenly there was a bang, then carnage. Everything seemed to happen behind me."

Psaradakis said he tried to help his passengers.

"There were many injured people and at first I thought, "How am I alive when everyone is dying around me?' " Psaradakis told the British news agency Press Association. "The police then had to take me away because they were concerned there might be further explosions."

The blasts paralyzed the city's mass transportation system, halting subway service, delaying buses and stranding thousands of residents and tourists.

Ten of London's 12 subway lines reopened Friday, though service on three was restricted. Bus service was running through central London, except for diversions around blast sites.

But some commuters, admitting they were afraid, opted for a taxi. Normally packed double-decker buses carried just a handful of passengers, and many Underground stations were less congested than normal. Others said they had little choice but to board the subway.

"I was scared, but what can you do?" said Raj Varatharaj, 32, emerging from an Underground station. "This is the fastest way for me to get to work. You just have to carry on."

Some commuters commented on what appeared to be a light police presence at some Underground stations.

"Everyone is very quiet, everybody is a bit anxious," said Anil Patel, 40, a banker. "An obvious (police) presence would have settled your nerves."

Sasha Vargas, 22, a college student from San Diego, said she and two traveling companions opted to walk instead of taking the Tube to St. Paul's Cathedral and were glad to be leaving on Saturday.

"We probably would have canceled a couple of nights at the end of our stay if we had been staying any longer," she said.

Security officials locked patrons inside the British Museum briefly Friday after guards saw two suitcases chained together inside the museum. Visitors were let out after they located the bag's owners, two tourists.

Weekend concerts by Queen and REM in Hyde Park also were postponed a week because of safety concerns.

Blair, the police chief, said he expected the death toll to rise but said he doubted it would reach triple digits. One person died in a hospital, where 100 victims spent the night, Blair said. He said more than 700 were injured.

Thousands of Muslims crowded London mosques for Friday prayers, condemning the bombings, but also wary they could be made scapegoats and fearful of reprisals against their growing and vibrant community.

"It will have some impact on people. But this is London, a cosmopolitan city," said student Ali Ayubi. "Maybe after one or two months it will go back to normal."

Information from the New York Times, Associated Press and Knight Ridder news service was used in this report.

[Last modified July 9, 2005, 01:21:36]