18 people injured in London Underground subway attack, UK police calling it an act of terrorism

The fire was created by an 'improvised explosive device', which London's Metropolitan Police are calling a terrorist attack.

According to the Associated Press, passengers reported seeing people with burns on their faces and bodies as a result of the device that was created by a bucket, concealed in a plastic bag caught fire.

In an interview with Sky News, one commuter on board the London subway train said he saw "a massive flash of flames” that reached the ceiling of the train and then the air was filled with the smell of chemicals. He told reporters that many of the passengers were schoolchildren, who were knocked around by people trying to get away from the fire.

Speaking with Associated Press, Richard Aylmer-Hall, whose train had just left the station at the time said in the report,

“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."

“Some people got pushed over and trampled on, I saw two women being treated by ambulance crews.”

Although 18 people have been hospitalized so far, the London Ambulance Service says none of the injuries are thought to be life-threatening.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan says that the city "will never be intimidated or defeated by terrorism" and "utterly condemns the hideous individuals who attempt to use terror to harm us and destroy our way of life."

Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee, which Khan is confirmed to be attending.

Writing on Twitter, May said, “My thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green and emergency services who are responding bravely to this terrorist incident.”

Britain’s official threat level from terrorism stands at “severe,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Associated Press