LONDON – British police declared at least two major incidents Saturday night after multiple people were reported to have been injured when a van veered off the road on London Bridge and mowed down pedestrians. There were later reported stabbings in a nearby market.

Witnesses reported that a white van was traveling fast – approximately 50 mph – when it mounted the sidewalk and plowed into a group of people crossing the Thames River on foot.

 Police said there had been at least one fatality.

Holly Jones, a BBC reporter who was on the bridge at the time, said five people were being treated for injuries. The news service reported that police were seeking three suspects in connection with the incident.

Police later confirmed a second incident at Borough Market, an area packed with popular restaurants that is located just south of the bridge. Police said that armed officers were responding to the scene, and that there were reports of injuries from a knife attack.

Police said shots had been fired at Borough Market.

London’s Metropolitan Police said they were responding to a third potential incident in the Vauxhall area, which is about a mile from the scene of the first two incidents.

Dozens of police cars sped to the scene of the incidents, with helicopters hovering overhead. Police closed the bridge and urged the public to avoid the area.

 Downing Street said Prime Minister Theresa May was in contact with police officials.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots at the bridge around 10:30 p.m.

“I heard many gunshots and I heard people running away,” said Joe Dillon, 23, who was near London Bridge when the incident occurred. “Police officers were shouting: ‘Get out of here, you need to go!’ I heard at least eight rounds of gunshots, but I’m not sure who was shooting. When I arrived a second after I had heard the screams and the shots, I saw five or six officers running toward the van.”

The incident caused chaos in the heart of London in an area normally bustling on a Saturday night. Pedestrians near the bridge said they were ordered by police to run. Diners at nearby restaurants were told to shelter in place. Video footage showed people fleeing.

Saturday’s incident comes less than two weeks after 22 people were killed in a bomb blast following a Manchester concert. And it comes less than three months after a driver killed four pedestrians on another Thames crossing, Westminster Bridge. The assailant then stabbed to death a London police officer at the gates of Parliament. </s> (CNN) -- A van mowed down pedestrians as it sped down London Bridge on Saturday night, leaving bodies lying in the roadway, a witness to the incident told CNN.

Mark Roberts said the van was traveling south across the River Thames at a high rate of speed and was swerving as it struck several people, knocking one person "about 20 feet into the air."

The van swerved into oncoming lanes before hitting a bus stop and coming to a stop, Roberts said.

"Within my line of sight, there were five or six people on the ground that were not moving," he said. "It looked to me that the van was aiming at the people."

Roberts said he heard what sounded like gunshots about 10 minutes later. He estimated 100 people were on the bridge at the time, fewer than earlier in the night because it was getting late.

"I froze, to be honest," Roberts said. "As I was thinking ... which direction should I run, the van swerved across the other side of the bridge from me."

London's Metropolitan Police have not issued a report, saying only that an "incident" occurred on the bridge.

Both lanes of the bridge were blocked, police said.

The US embassy in London tweeted: "Please avoid the area and monitor local news/@metpoliceuk for updates."

England has been on edge since May 22, when a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

The bridge incident also comes more than two months after a man drove an SUV into a crowd on the sidewalk along Westminster Bridge in London, killing at least four people.

After ramming the car into a barrier outside the Houses of Parliament, the driver got out and stabbed a police officer to death. The attacker was gunned down by a police officer.

The assailant, Khalid Masood, 52, of West Midlands, reportedly had a criminal record and may have had connections to violent extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said. </s> Seven people have died and at least 20 have been taken to hospital after London was rocked by a terrorist attack last night.

Officers responded to reports of a vehicle ploughing into pedestrians around London Bridge and stabbings at Borough Market shortly after 10pm.

Three attackers, wearing hoax explosive vests, were shot and killed by police.

Transport policeman stabbed as he rushed to help

Shortly after 9:30am on Sunday morning, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said the number of victims from the London attack has risen from six to seven.

An on-duty British Transport Police officer received "serious injuries" including head, face and leg wounds, as he responded to calls for help from the public, Scotland Yard said.

Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said: "We believe three people were involved but we still have some more inquiries to be 100% confident on that."

Police said they had received reports of a vehicle striking pedestrians on London Bridge at around 10pm, which then continued on to Borough Market.

The suspects then left the vehicle and a number of people in the area were stabbed, Scotland Yard said.

Witnesses described seeing a speeding vehicle veer into crowds on London Bridge.

A man called Gerard said he witnessed a series of stabbings by three men near Borough Market.

"They were stabbing everyone. They were running up and going 'This is for Allah'," he told BBC News.

He said he followed the attackers and threw items at them in a bid to stop them.

Alex Shellum, who was in The Mudlark pub, close to London Bridge, said he saw a bleeding woman in her early 20s stagger in.

Barman Alex Martinez was forced to take shelter in a bin when a knifeman stormed El Pastor, the Borough restaurant in which he worked.

He said: "I saw that man with a knife in his hand and after that a man started screaming so I knew something wrong was happening.

"The man started screaming and dropping everything on the floor, the plates, the cutlery, the bottle, everything, he dropped it."

He said he jumped down behind a wall to keep safe.

Mr Rowley added: "At this stage, we believe that six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot dead by police. And at least 20 casualties have been taken to six hospitals across London.

"We are reviewing and planning to strengthen our policing stance across London over the forthcoming days and there will be additional police and officers deployed across the capital.

"We are treating this as a terrorist incident and a full investigation is already under way, led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command."

Holly Jones, a BBC reporter, was at London Bridge when she saw a van swerve into pedestrians.

"A white van driver came speeding - probably about 50mph - veered off the road into the crowds of people who were walking along the pavement," she told BBC News.

"He swerved right round me and then hit about five or six people. He hit about two people in front of me and then three behind."

A taxi driver called Chris told LBC he saw men armed with foot-long knives after the van drove on to the pavement.

He told the station: "Then three men got out with long blades, 12 inches long and went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people at random. I saw a young girl stabbed in the chest." </s> There has been an incident on London Bridge, London’s Metropolitan Police said Saturday night.

“We are dealing with an incident on #LondonBridge, when we have more information we will update this twitter feed.”

A witness, Mark Roberts, told CNN that he was on the bridge when a van came swerving down the roadway at a high rate of speed.

The van hit several people, knocking one person about 20 feet into the air, he said. It swerved into oncoming lanes before hitting a bus stop and coming to a stop, Roberts said.

“Within my line of sight, there were five or six people on the ground that were not moving,” he said. “It looked to me that the van was aiming at the people.”

Roberts said he heard what sounded like gunshots a brief time later. He estimated 100 people were on the bridge at the time.

Both lanes of the bridge were blocked, police said.

Authorities have not said what caused the incident.

The US embassy in London tweeted: “Please avoid the area and monitor local news/@metpoliceuk for updates.”

England has been on edge since May 22, when a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

The bridge incident also comes more than two months after a man drove an SUV into a crowd on the sidewalk along Westminster Bridge in London, killing at least four people.

After ramming the car into a barrier outside the Houses of Parliament, the driver got out and stabbed a police officer to death. The attacker was gunned down by a police officer.

The assailant, Khalid Masood, 52, of West Midlands, reportedly had a criminal record and may have had connections to violent extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said. </s> Attackers drove a van at high speed into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in the nearby Borough Market area of bars and restaurants on Saturday in what British authorities described as terrorist incidents. Armed police rushed to the scene and authorities urged Londoners on Twitter to “run, hide, tell” if they were caught in an attack. The BBC cited police as saying there had been more than one fatality. Britain’s Sun newspaper said seven people were feared killed and that two attackers were shot dead by police near London Bridge; but there was no immediate confirmation of this. Some media reports said police were seeking another attacker.

The attacks come days ahead of a June 8 election and less than two weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a pop concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in northern England. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The BBC showed a photograph of two possible London attackers shot by police, one of whom had canisters strapped to his body.

A Reuters reporter said some time after the attack began that he had heard loud bangs near the Borough Market area.

Witnesses described a white van veering into pedestrians near London Bridge and knocking over several people.

“A van came from London Bridge itself, went between the traffic light system and rammed it towards the steps,” a taxi driver told the BBC. “It knocked loads of people down.

“Then three men got out with long blades, 12 inches long and went randomly along Borough High Street stabbing people at random.”

Islamic State earlier on Saturday sent out a call on instant messaging service Telegram urging its followers to launch attacks with trucks, knives and guns against “Crusaders” during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Similar attacks, in Berlin, Nice, Brussels and Paris, have been carried out by militants over the past couple of years.

“Following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism,” Prime Minister Theresa May said.

London’s river Thames police said it was working with the lifeboat rescue service to help evacuate people caught up in the attack, described by police as a terrorist incident.

U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to offer U.S. help to Britain. The White House said he had been briefed on the incidents by his national security team.

One woman told Reuters she saw what appeared to be three people with knife wounds and possibly their throats cut at London Bridge at the Thames river. Reuters was unable to immediately verify her account.

Police said they fired shots after reports of stabbings in the nearby Borough Market area. They also responded to an incident in the Vauxhall area further west, but later said it was unconnected to the van and knife attacks.

Streets around London Bridge and Borough Market, fashionable districts packed with bars and restaurants, would have been busy with people on a Saturday night out. BBC showed dozens of people, evidently caught up in the attack, being escorted through a police cordon with their hands on their heads.

BBC radio said witnesses saw people throwing tables and chairs at the perpetrators of the attack to protect themselves.

One witness told the BBC she saw a speeding white van veering into pedestrians at London Bridge. That witness said the van hit five to six people. Reuters television pictures showed dozens of emergency vehicles in the area around London Bridge.

The incident bore similarities to a March attack on Westminster Bridge, west of London Bridge, in which a man killed five people after driving into a crowd of pedestrians before stabbing a police officer in the grounds of parliament.

“We were in an Uber (taxi) going towards London Bridge and suddenly we saw people running. The Uber stopped, we asked people what was going on – people said there was shooting,” said Yoann Belmere, 40, a French banker living in London.

“Now the area is completely closed with police cars going one way and ambulances going the other,” he told Reuters.

A witness told CNN two men had entered a restaurant in the Borough Market area near London Bridge and stabbed two people inside. He said a waitress was stabbed in the throat and a man was stabbed in the back.

The Manchester bombing on May 22 was the deadliest attack in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated attacks on London’s transport network.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> London, United Kingdom | AFP | A van ploughed into pedestrians and several people were stabbed in central London Saturday, police and witnesses said, leaving “multiple” casualties in what police called a “terrorist” attack days before a general election.

Armed police opened fire during at least two “terrorist incidents” at London Bridge and Borough Market, in the heart of the capital’s business district.

“We can confirm we have taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London following the incident at London Bridge,” the London Ambulance Service said in a statement.

Witnesses described a van speeding into pedestrians on London Bridge and then a knife-wielding man sprinting towards a bar packed with revellers enjoying a Saturday night out.

Pictures show medical staff attending to apparent victims of the attack and a helicopter buzzing just metres over London bridge, one of the major arteries in the City business district.

Police responded rapidly with dozens of emergency vehicles and authorities led shellshocked members of the public away from the scene with their hands on their heads.

The attack came more than a week after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at a concert in the northern city of Manchester and days ahead of the June 8 election, where security is a major theme.

It also recalled an attack on Westminster Bridge when 52-year-old British Muslim convert Khalid Mahmood rammed his car into pedestrians before crashing into the barriers surrounding parliament and then stabbing a police officer to death.

Police said the first reports of a “vehicle in collision with pedestrians on London Bridge” came at 10:08pm local time (2108) and were quickly followed by “reports of stabbings in Borough Market,” at the south end of the bridge.

“Armed officers responded and shots have been fired,” police said.

Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that the “terrible incident in London” was being treated as “a potential act of terrorism.”

She will hold an emergency ministerial meeting later on Sunday and Facebook has activated its safety check function for people in London to let their loved ones know they are safe.

US President Donald Trump offered his help, tweeting “WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!”

Witnesses on London Bridge reported seeing a van mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians and a man with a knife running.

“There was a van that crashed into the fences on London Bridge. And then there was a man with a knife, he was running. He came down the stairs and went to the bar,” Dee, 26, who was visibly in shock and declined to give her last name, told AFP.

Gerard Kavanar, 46, said he had seen a chef with “blood on his shoulder” in the area.

The London Ambulance Service said “multiple resources” were being sent to the scene. AFP reporters saw two police helicopters over the area and several roads were shut down.

The police were urging the public to run to a place of safety, or hide if they cannot.

Will Heaven, managing editor of The Spectator magazine, said on Twitter he saw “two casualties — one on pavement, one edge of road” and reported seeing armed police on the bridge.

BBC reporter Holly Jones, who was there at the time of the incident, said she saw a van driven by a man travelling “at about 50 miles (80 kilometres) an hour”.

She said about five people were being treated for injuries after the vehicle mounted the pavement and hit them.

“There’s several police boats with torchlights searching the Thames at the moment,” she told BBC radio.

She added that she saw a man, who had his shirt off and was in handcuffs, being arrested by police. </s> If viewing in the app, click here.

LONDON — British police responded to multiple security incidents across London on Saturday as a van plowed into pedestrians on London Bridge, killing at least one person, and at least one assailant went on a stabbing rampage in an area of the capital known for its pubs and lively nightlife.

Metropolitan Police said the incidents were terrorism and appeared to be connected. It was not entirely clear if the police operation was over.

Earlier, Prime Minister Theresa May said the attacks were being investigated as a "potential act of terrorism."

The first incident took place on London Bridge, where witnesses described seeing a white van mounting the sidewalk and injuring at least six people at about 10:30 p.m. . A BBC reporter who was on the bridge at the time said the van was being driven at around 50 mph by a male suspect.

The BBC said one person was confirmed dead. British Transport Police said they have received reports of multiple casualties.

London Bridge, which crosses the River Thames in London, was closed in both directions.

In the incident at Borough Market, a nearby area that houses many food stalls and pubs and is popular with tourists, Metropolitan police said armed officers had been sent to the area after reports of stabbings at a restaurant.

Police said shots were fired and urged people to flee the area. However, it was not clear if the shots were fired by police or an assailant or assailants.

There were also reports of a third incident, a stabbing in the Vauxhall area of London. That was subsequently said to be unrelated to the terror attack.

Some witnesses reported seeing as many as three attackers, a figure not confirmed by police.

Police urged Londoners to be calm and vigilant and circulated a message that read: "Run," "Hide," "Tell."

The British Prime Minister's office said May was being regularly updated on the situation, and the White House said President Trump has been briefed.

"Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U. K., we will be there - WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!" Trump tweeted.

Reports of the incident reflected fear that the incident could be terrorism. Britain has weathered two terrorism attacks in recent months. In March, four people were killed in London after Khalid Masood rammed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a policeman outside the Houses of Parliament.

On May 22, a British-born suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured 59 others at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.

The attack came on the eve of a benefit concert Grande is scheduled to play in Manchester on Sunday in aid of the victims and their families. </s> Police are investigating "terrorist incidents" at London Bridge and Borough Market following reports of a vehicle ploughing into pedestrians on a bridge and stabbings.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted: "At 0025hrs 4/6/17 the incidents at #LondonBridge & #BoroughMarket were declared as terrorist incidents."

It comes amid reports of explosions being heard near the bridge.

A stabbing at Vauxhall was unrelated, the force added.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was being updated by officials on the "fast-moving" situation, adding: "I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism."

She will chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee on Sunday, No 10 said.

Scotland Yard said officers were responding to three incidents in the capital.

Police were called at around 10.08pm to reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on London Bridge.

Officers then attended a second incident at nearby Borough Market after reports of stabbings. Armed officers responded and shots were fired.

A third incident, which is unrelated, was taking place at Vauxhall, Scotland Yard said.

A big explosion was heard from the London Bridge area at around 1.50am

He said: "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."

He said he would be attending the Cobra meeting on Sunday morning.

Mr Khan encouraged people to follow the Metropolitan Police on Twitter for further updates and information.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: "Brutal and shocking incidents reported in London. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. Thank you to the emergency services."

The Prime Minister added: "This is a fast moving investigation. I want to express my huge gratitude to the police and emergency services who are on the scene.

"Our thoughts are with those who are caught up in these dreadful events."

Witnesses described seeing a speeding vehicle veer into crowds on London Bridge, while video showed dozens of people with their hands on their heads escorted away from the scene by officers.

And in the popular food market in south London, witnesses said they saw a man with a large blade.

Barman Alex Martinez was forced to take shelter in a bin when a knifeman stormed the Borough restaurant in which he worked.

He said: "I remember that I was working behind the bar and one man entered into my restaurant and that's it - I remember about the third table, second one, next to the door, a man dropped everything and ran out.

"I just tried to be safe, I jumped down behind a big wall, now I feel my pain in my arm, I feel pain.

"I saw that man with a knife in his hand and after that a man started screaming so I knew something wrong was happening.

"The man started screaming and dropping everything on the floor, the plates, the cutlery, the bottle, everything, he dropped it."

He recalled hearing someone crying near his bin and said the two exchanged reassurances.

Emergency services were seen treating people lying injured at the junction of Thrale Street and Southwark Street, near Borough Market.

One woman was taken away on a stretcher while others sat injured on the ground, with shocked people crying and shouting around them.

Frightened people were led up Southwark Street away from Southwark Bridge Road, and police officers were seen screaming to people and ordering them to run.

Many were in tears, with friends supporting each other and carrying people up the road.

Cordons were put up across Southwark Street before repeatedly being pushed back as police widened the critical zone around Borough Market.

Nick Brandon of the BTP's force control room said he had received reports of an incident possibly involving a knife and a vehicle.

The seriousness of the injuries were not not yet known, he said. </s> (CNN/AP) — There has been an incident on London Bridge, London’s Metropolitan Police said Saturday night.

“We are dealing with an incident on #LondonBridge, when we have more information we will update this twitter feed.”

Witnesses reported a vehicle hitting pedestrians and injured people on the ground. One told the BBC a white van veered off the road and struck as many as six people.

Another witness, Will Heaven, said he saw people who appeared to have been hit, and one being put into an ambulance.

“We saw injured people on the road, injured people on the pavement,” he told Sky News.

Transport for London said busy London Bridge station was closed at the request of police.

Both lanes of the bridge were blocked, police said.

Authorities have not said what caused the incident.

The US embassy in London tweeted: “Please avoid the area and monitor local news/@metpoliceuk for updates.”

England has been on edge since May 22, when a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

The bridge incident also comes more than two months after a man drove an SUV into a crowd on the sidewalk along Westminster Bridge in London, killing at least four people.

After ramming the car into a barrier outside the Houses of Parliament, the driver got out and stabbed a police officer to death. The attacker was gunned down by a police officer.

The assailant, Khalid Masood, 52, of West Midlands, reportedly had a criminal record and may have had connections to violent extremism, British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
A van travelling at approximately 50 mph ploughs into pedestrians on London Bridge; the three occupants then abandon the van and embark on a stabbing spree in Borough Market before being shot dead by officers of the Metropolitan Police. At least six civilians are killed.