Suspected car bomb explosion in London
( 2001-08-03 09:51 ) (7 )

A suspected car bomb exploded overnight Friday near an underground railway station in west London, police said.

Police at the scene of the explosion near Ealing Broadway station said there were "several" injuries but were unable to confirm numbers nor the cause of the blast.

A large area around Ealing Broadway shopping centre was cordoned off and ambulances were standing by outside.

The explosion occurred just before midnight (2300 GMT) some 100 metres (yards) from the station, a spokesman for the British Transport Police said.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred outside a branch of the Body Shop near The Townhouse pub.

It could be heard about one kilometre (half a mile) away, according to Sky News.

Eyewitness Jagpreet Sidhu, 22, said he saw the bomb go off as he stood outside the pub.

"I felt a huge shock wave then literally saw a roll of flame coming towards us," he said.

"All the shop windows smashed. We ducked and were thrown to the floor."

Another eyewitness, Simon Offer, a local resident, told Sky News there were 40 to 50 police officers in the area, plus three fire engines and several ambulances.

"I ran out and people were running up the street," he told the television station.

"Some people were on the floor, some were having panic attacks. These were people who had been caught up in the explosion.

"There were a lot of people around. This area is very busy on a Thursday night.

"The police started to move people back and gave a warning that there could be a secondary device."

Another eyewitness, Boo Abbas, 43, who was 200 metres (yards) from the blast, said: "Everything shook and I felt the wind through my hair and the vibration. I knew immediately it must be a bomb, it was terrifying. The windows shook."

A spokeswoman for London Fire Brigade said two appliances had been sent to Ealing after reports of an explosion.

She said the brigade received a call two minutes after midnight (2302 GMT).