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Oxford Circus Station in London Is Evacuated Amid Panic Oxford Circus Station in London Reopens After Panicked Evacuation
(35 minutes later)
LONDON — One of London’s busiest subway stations was evacuated on Friday evening following reports of gunfire, according to the Metropolitan Police, which said that its officers had “responded as if the incident is terrorist related.” LONDON — A report of gunfire led to the panicked evacuation of one of London’s most crowded subway stations on Friday evening, but the scare proved to be short-lived, a testament perhaps to nerves frayed by a year in which London has been targeted by several terrorist attacks.
Details about the episode were not immediately clear, but the station is at the center of one of the busiest shopping areas in London, and the evacuation set off new jitters, coming at the end of a year in which London has been targeted by several terrorist attacks. The station was reopened within 90 minutes, as the police reported that they had “not located any trace of suspects, evidence of shots fired or casualties.”
Witnesses described a scene of panic, with people running from the station, some in tears, with one woman having lost a shoe. Shopping bags littered the sidewalks. The police shut off roads within several blocks of Oxford Circus and urged people in the vicinity to take shelter in stores and office buildings. Earlier, witnesses at Oxford Circus, thronged with shoppers on “Black Friday,” one of the busiest shopping days of the year, described a scene of panic, with people running from the station, some in tears. Shopping bags littered the sidewalk, and one woman was seen running down the street wearing just one shoe.
Mattias Nilsson, 45, said he was in town with friends for a Premier League soccer match and was near Oxford Circus Station when he heard people shouting. Mattias Nilsson, 45, said he was in town with friends for a Premier League soccer match and was near the station when he heard people shouting, “Shooting! Terrorists!”
“We just ran. Everyone started running,” he said. “This is making me nervous.”“We just ran. Everyone started running,” he said. “This is making me nervous.”
The Metropolitan Police issued a statement saying that they responded to calls at 4:38 p.m. and were proceeding “as if the incident is terrorist related.” But a statement from the British Transport Police said that the only injury reported so far was a woman hurt in the panic, and that was minor. The police closed off roads within several blocks of Oxford Circus and urged people in the area to take shelter in stores and office buildings.
However, Transport of London described it as a “customer incident”; the British Transport Police said “officers are on the scene.” The Metropolitan Police then issued a statement saying that officers had responded to calls at 4:38 p.m. and were proceeding “as if the incident is terrorist related.” But Transport for London was more measured, calling it a “customer incident.”
Finally, the British Transport Police released a statement saying that the only injury reported was that of a woman hurt in the stampede, and that was minor.
It remained unclear what exactly touched off the panic. One witness on Twitter said there had been “a fight on the westbound platform that involved around 20 people. There was a lot of screaming, shouting and crying. As I got on to the tube the comms speaker announced the station was getting evacuated and for everyone to leave.”
At that point, the witness said, people started running for the exits.