Young boy injured in Parsons Green terror attack was left crying out for his brother in aftermath of explosion
A YOUNG boy injured in the Parsons Green blast this morning was left crying out for his brother amid the chaos.
The youngster, said to be no more than 11 years old was seen frantically searching for his sibling as panicked commuters rushed from the west London station.
Olaniyi Shokunbi, 24, saw people on the floor covered in blood before he spotted the lost boy.
The fitness instructor said: "There were people on the floor, there was a little boy, I really felt sorry for him, he couldn't have been more than 11.
"He had scratches on his head, he was looking for his little brother."
Commuters reported running for their lives as people's "hair was coming off" after the explosion - a confirmed terror attack - on the London Underground this morning.
Lauren Hubbard, 24, who was on the train, told the Evening Standard: “I heard a loud bang. There was a wall of fire that came towards me. I could feel the heat. We ran for it and then hid.
"There was a baby closer to the fireball — I just hope they are okay. There were loads of children. Everybody was screaming.
My first thought was ‘terrorist incident’. I just ran.”
Multiple people were injured as witnesses described seeing people badly burnt - as some were reported to have had their clothing melted.
A picture of a burning plastic bucket with wires protruding from it was posted on Twitter, as witnesses described the explosion as the "scariest thing I've ever seen."
The Met Police chief said this morning "we are treating the matter as a terrorist-related incident".
Shocked travellers described the panic that broke out as a "fireball" left around 20 people injured, some with "facial burns" in the carriage at Parsons Green station.
One person tweeted "I ran for my life" as others said they were told by cops to "run" and leave the area.
A witness told The Sun: "It was absolute chaos, no I didn't hear anything just everyone started running and screaming.
"People were trampling over each other on the stairs to get out. Man climbing over school kids. It was horrible."
TERROR ATTACK LATEST Get live updates as cops hunt terrorist behind Parsons Green Tube attack
Georgia Anile, 20, only moved to the UK from Melbourne, Australia, six weeks ago and lives two streets away from Parsons Green station.
She told The Sun: "I saw a woman being stretchered away. She had really bad burns to her legs."
The shop worker had been walking to the station when she saw heavily armed police swarm the area.
"They were wearing black and had massive guns. I knew something wasn't right.
"I asked what was going on and they explained that a bag had exploded on the tube."
29 people have now been confirmed as injured and being treated in hospital.
Witness Luke Walmsey told Sky News: "I was travelling from Wimbledon to Notting Hill Gate. As it pulled into Parsons Green slowing down there was a loud noise and saw the remnants of a flash and smoke.
"There was a stampede, hordes of people just running to me. Within 5 seconds it was apparent it was not a safe place to be.
"As the doors opened people were running down the platform. Down the stairs. But there was a backlog because the barriers wouldn't open. So there was a big crush, people shouting, 'has he got a knife, is there an assailant'.
"It was every man for himself when that happened. [There were] no sign of clothing on some [because of burns]. Serious hand and leg injuries.
"It was so busy, loads of school children. So many nannies trying to find children. People filming it, taking pictures, no real sign that anyone called the emergency services.
"Firemen can running down the platform, but members of the public began getting water onto burns.
"They just said it was like a fire ball or a fire blast. It smelt like burning hair. Burning skin. It was like a large match had gone off, and in that instant people just started sprinting to the exit.
"There were just more and more people running, and you didn't know where to run.
"I thought about [terror in London] the other day. I thought 'is my route safe?' and we were talking about how everyone knows someone effected by a London terror attack. My friend was in the London Bridge terror attack.
"It happens so often."
"Firemen can running down the platform, but members of the public began getting water onto burns.
"They just said it was like a fire ball or a fire blast. It smelt like burning hair. Burning skin. It was like a large match had gone off, and in that instant people just started sprinting to the exit.
"There were just more and more people running, and you didn't know where to run.
Emma Steveton said a pregnant woman was trapped under a pile of people and a child's face was smashed on the floor.
She told Buzzfeed: "It was a real stampede and crush. There were about three layers of people underneath me. It was awful.
"The most traumatic thing was the weight of these bodies piling onto me and just thinking, 'this is it, I'm going to die'."
Sylvain Pennec, a software developer from Southfields, near Wimbledon, was around 10 metres from the source of the explosion when fire filled the carriage.
"I heard a boom and when I looked there were flames all around," he said. "People started to run but we were lucky to be stopping at Parsons Green as the door started to open."
He described the scene of panic as commuters struggled to escape the carriage, "collapsing and pushing" each other.
Mr Pennec stayed behind to take a closer look at what he believed was the source of the explosion.
"It looked like a bucket of mayonnaise," he said. "I'm not sure if it was a chemical reaction or something else, but it looked home made. I'm not an expert though."
More on the Parsons Green terror attack
A traumatised schoolgirl has described the chaos as hundreds of people fled Parsons Green station amid screams of 'terrorist'.
Sixth form student Wella Mensah, 16, said people were 'on the floor outside crying' with burned faces after a suspected bomb blast on a train.
Wella was walking to the nearby Lady Margaret School, about 100 yards from the scene, when hundreds of screaming people began running from the station.
She said: "I was under the bridge the train was on. I was looking and people just started running past me and I went 'what's going on' and everyone was saying run.
"I saw a bunch of girls running. I asked if they were okay and they said there was a terrorist on the train and there was a fire.
"Then somebody said there wasn't a terrorist and that someone just shouted terrorist and people got scared and just started running.
"I didn't hear anything because I had my headphones in but the guard told me she saw flames on the back of the train.
"There were people on the floor outside crying and two minutes later police came and the fire brigade.
"Teachers from the school started coming out. I didn't see anyone with fatal wounds or anything. There were huddles of people around them and their faces were completely red.
"People were trying to calm them down."
Sun reporter Harry Cole, who is at the scene, said: "Everyone came running out the station after reports of an explosion on the platform.
"You could see people were visibly shaken and hundreds were flooding out as armed police ran towards the station."
A BBC reporter said she saw a woman taken to hospital with burns "from top to toe" amid the chaos.
She added: "I have just seen a woman who was just there, she was just stretchered out.
"Her legs are wrapped up and she has been burnt, she has burns to her face, she was conscious, she was taking some pain relief and some oxygen but clearly people have sustained burns.
"She seemed to have burns all over her body from top to toe."
What we know so far:
- A homemade bucket bomb connected to a timer sent a "fireball" hurtling through an eastbound District Line Tube at Parsons Green at around 8.20am
- The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are treating the horror as a terror attack and have identified a suspect using CCTV
- 29 people have been taken to four hospitals across London including a young boy believed to have suffered serious burns to his legs
- Train services through the area have been halted and a wide cordon put in place after terrified commuters were injured in a "stampede"
- Theresa May has confirmed the UK terror threat level will remain at severe but security will be beefed up on trains following the "cowardly" attack
- Initial reports falsely suggested a knifeman was on the loose and a second bomb was being detonated
A Metro reporter saying people are "really badly burned" adding that "their hair was coming off".
An onlooker said a "fireball flew down a carriage" as panicked commuters dived out of an open door.
A woman who was on the Tube told 5live: "I was in the carriage next to it or the one along as the screaming felt really, really loud.
"There was one lady as I came out having a bottle of water tipped over her face and hands. I was on the phone to my mum and she said 'leave the area and go home'.
"I felt very British - I lost my shoe but I went to get it. I'm a bit shaken up."
A Met Police statement said: "We are aware of an incident at #ParsonsGreen tube station. Officers are in attendance. More info ASAP."
Before adding: "Police were called at approximately 08:20hrs on Friday, 15 September to Parsons Green Underground Station following reports of an incident on a tube train.
"Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service and British Transport Police are in attendance along with the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service. We would advise people to avoid the area."
And Natasha Wills, Assistant Director of Operations at London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 8:20am to reports of an incident at Parsons Green underground station.
“We have sent multiple resources to the scene including single responders in cars, ambulance crews, incident response officers and our hazardous area response team, with the first of our medics arriving in under five minutes.
“Our initial priority is to assess the level and nature of injuries. More information will follow when we have it.”
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