London bombs

In case you're wondering, I'm not in London at the moment, and as far as I know my friends and family are safe. It's clearly a broad attack, with six tube station incidents apparently confirmed -- Edgware Road, Kings Cross, Aldgate East, Russell Square, Moorgate and Liverpool Street -- and one bus bombed in Tavistock Square. It's possible there's more. Many casualties and certainly some fatalities -- two reported from Aldgate East, and many will have died on that bus -- but so far it doesn't look as terrible as Bali or Madrid, though these may be early days. The BBC is citing sources that say this is al Qaeda -- there's apparently a web statement, as well. Official sources are schtum on almost everything. Emergency procedures seem to be working, but there's a great deal of confusion. The whole tube network and teh central London buses are all shut down. Cell phone networks are congested, and apparently shut down in some areas to avoid the possibility of them being used as bomb triggers -- if the bomb that destroyed the top deck of the bus at Tavistock Square wasn't a suicide bomb, which I think it probably was, cell phone triggering might be quite likely.

Blair is leaving Gleneagles and coming down to London. G8 will continue in his absence. A good chance, if they want to take it, for the other leaders to come down and show solidarity.

Rather good quickly updated news available at the Cambridge Evening News, though other people seem to have discovered this and their server is slowing down a bit.

Quick updates also at the BBC and the Guardian.

I'm not planning running blogging on this.

UPDATE
At least four bombs, according to the home secretary. The bus, and the tube between Rusell Square and Kings Cross, the tube at Edgware Road, and the tube between Aldgate East and Moorgate. Some trains stuck between tunnels.

Comments

[Michael Foy]

Oliver:

Dave Smith encouraged me to get in touch and gave me your blog site. My name is Michael Foy. Your name came up in the most recent conversation on science journalism I had with him in a very complimentary way.

I'm the president of an executive search firm called Publishing Search
Solutions (www.publishingsearch.com). As you can guess it is my charter to
talk with as many talented people as possible in order to introduce them to career opportunities. We place people within publishing houses throughout the U.S. and sometimes beyond. Dave made a connection and suggested your
name when I described some of the upcoming opportunities concerning planetary science.

I'd like to talk to you. You could email your telephone number or personal email address.

Sincerely,
Michael Foy