Dozens injured after London underground train explosion

An injured woman reacts outside Parsons Green tube station in London, Britain September 15, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Dozens of people have been injured after an explosion on a rush-hour train in south-west London. Armed police rushed to Parsons Green station and more people were injured as they escaped from the train and the station in panic.

Images circulated on social media showing commuters with burnt faces. Other images purported to show the source of the explosion, a plastic pot in a supermarket bag. The surrounding carriage does not appear to be damaged.

The explosion took place at 8:20 at the height of the London rush hour and the carriage would have been packed as it transported commuters from Wimbledon to central London. It took place on a section of the District Line of the London underground which runs overland. Parsons Green Station is elevated from ground level.

A witness told the Guardian: "Suddenly there was panic, lots of people shouting, screaming, lots of screaming," he said. "There was a woman on the platform who said she had seen a bag, a flash and a bang, so obviously something had gone off."

He added: "I saw crying women, there was lots of shouting and screaming, there was a bit of a crush on the stairs going down to the streets. Some people got pushed over and trampled on. I saw two women being treated by ambulance crews."