London bombings inquest shown aftermath of 7 July attacks
The inquest into the deaths of 52 people killed in the London bombings are shown harrowing film of the aftermath, but Andy Davies reports that only a fraction of it was released for public viewing.
Footage of the aftermath of an attack on a tube train at Aldgate was filmed by the emergency services hours after the initial bombings. Seven people were killed at Aldgate when bomber Shehzad Tanweer detonated his device.
Three other bombs exploded across London on the morning of 7 July 2005, killing 52 people in total.
The scene which greeted emergency workers when they arrived at the stricken Aldgate train was one of devastation akin to a battlefield, the inquests heard today.
Maimed bodies with amputated limbs lay scattered throughout the carriage as paramedics attempted to distinguish between the dead and the dying.
‘Horrifying scene’
As medical teams tried to work in the darkness, other surviving passengers sought to comfort those who had borne the brunt of the blast and were unable to help themselves.
Hugo Keith QC said rescue workers were confronted by a “horrifying scene of mangled flesh, torn bodies, debris and metal”.
The disaster prompted “acts of remarkable heroism and human fortitude” Mr Keith added.
Detailing the immense human effort, he said one survivor used her corduroy jacket to make a tourniquet for a man who lost both his legs in the blast, while tying her belt around the legs of another man.
Mr Keith said train driver Timothy Batkin could hear the screams of passengers in the carriages behind him but his initial mayday calls were unanswered. He eventually used his mobile phone to call for help as he was in a shallow section of the underground network.
Footage played at the inquest shows forensic officers assessing the scene of the Aldgate blast. Carriages can be seen blown out with shattered glass and debris on the tracks. Personal belongings of passengers can be seen on destroyed seats inside the carriage.
The disaster prompted “acts of remarkable heroism and human fortitude.” Hugo Keith QC
Families of the victims were in court to hear evidence. The footage had been heavily edited to minimise distress although loss of life was still evident.
What was released for broadcast today was only a fraction of the material shown in the hearing, writes Andy Davies.
The edited-for-broadcast version did not show the full harrowing extent of the devastation within the trains, including the blood-soaked debris and abandoned personal belongings. This, in part, was due to concerns raised by some relatives of the deceased about the "identifiable" nature of certain scenes. But it was also due to an intervention by the Metropolitan Police.
Their counsel, Max Hill QC, has argued that much of this material could be used as propaganda by terrorists. There are well known examples, he said, in which graphical representations of the scenes of atrocities have been converted into propaganda and subsequently found in the possession of convicted terrorists.
The Coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, made an interim ruling today that only the shorter, edited version be released. However, she said that she would be happy to hear further arguments on the issue at a later date.
Suicide bombers
Four suicide bombers detonated explosives at different locations across London on 7 July 2005. Three bombs went off on the London underground and one later exploded on a bus.
The inquests heard today that unhurt passengers from a second service clambered into the Edgware Road train after a bomb ripped through a carriage, killing six.
Passengers went to help the stricken eastbound Circle line train as it came to rest alongside another train, a short distance from Edgware Road.
Video footage filmed by police documented how the improvised rucksack bomb obliterated parts of the roof, walls and doors of the train, leaving the inside barely recognisable.
The inquest heard the body of bomber Mohammed Sidique Khan was ripped apart by the force of the blast and his spine was found underneath the carriage. Hugo Keith QC, for the inquests, said all of those killed on the Edgware train died before emergency services could arrive.
He said off-duty medical staff shouted instructions from the eastbound service to others attempting to resuscitate those in the carriage.
