Watching 7/7 on TV
London turned its face to the screen
Chris Wild
July 7, 2005
It's reasonably clear that there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London. - Tony Blair, statement from Gleneagles, 12:00 P.M. BST
At 8:49 a.m. on July 7, 2005, three suicide bombers detonated explosives on board three separate rush hour trains on the London Underground. An hour later, a fourth terrorist blew himself up on a doubledecker bus in Tavistock Square.The attacks came as world leaders were assembling at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland for the annual G8 summit.Confusion reigned in the immediate aftermath. With bloodied victims fleeing through stations in front of and behind each train, initial reports suggested there had been six underground explosions, rather than three. The Underground was completely closed, sending stranded commuters in search of explanations and assurances.As rescuers plumbed through smoke-filled tunnels in search of survivors and the government scrambled to identify the perpetrators, television news coverage of the attacks continued uninterrupted. Sky News did not break to take a commercial for 24 hours. Nearly two weeks passed before the final toll was reported: 52 civilians dead, and approximately 700 wounded.
On the one hand, we got people here who are working to alleviate poverty and to help rid the world of the pandemic of AIDS and that are working on ways to have a clean environment. And on the other hand, you've got people killing innocent people. - George W. Bush, statement from Gleneagles, 1:30 P.M. BST
We will show by our spirit and dignity and by a quiet and true strength that there is in the British people, that our values will long outlast theirs. - Tony Blair, statement from 10 Downing Street, 5:30 P.M. BST
