Eyewitness account of blasts

Accountancy Age reporter Kevin Reed was close to two of this
morning’s terrorist explosions in central London as he made his way to work.

Travelling on London Underground’s Victoria line he, along with other
passengers, was asked to disembark at Kings Cross station. He emerged in the
station lobby to find confusion.

‘There were dozens of people and police covered in soot and dust. People were
coughing and crying,’ he said.

‘We then left the station to walk towards Gower Street. We were about to turn
onto Tavistock Square when we heard a tremendous blast. People started screaming
and running around a corner towards us. I looked around the corner and could
just make out what was left of the bus. There was smoke, and people screaming
and running away from the bus.

‘I was petrified and shocked. Everyone was shaking and confused. People were
trying make calls on their mobile phones.

‘Our instincts then were to get as far away as possible.’

Mid-tier firm Morley and Scott is based in Tavistock Square and employees
were in the process of evacuating their building when one of the explosions went
off. They report that no one was hurt.

Philip Fisher, partner at Chantrey Vellacott DFK, witnessed one of the
explosions from the firm’s office in Russell Square.

‘We are feeling extremely isolated at the moment, apart from a few ambulances
the area is deserted. It’s all pretty terrifying.’

Fisher added that all staff have been accounted for, but that they were
currently trapped in the building.

Prime minister Tony Blair said in a statement to the media this morning: ‘Our
thoughts and prayers are with the families and victims.

‘I intend to leave the G8 summit and fly to London in the next couple of
hours and then return later in the evening. It has been decided that the G8
meeting should continue in my absence and reach conclusions that we were going
to reach.’

A Treasury spokeswoman told Accountancy Age that ‘the chancellor
would attend a statement from the home secretary in the house at some stage this
afternoon’.

A Revenue spokesman said they were working as usual and there were no plans
to evacuate their building.