Five dead, including police officer and attacker, and 40 injured after assault on Houses of Parliament
Some further details on how the injured were treated today in London’s hospitals.
In total five London hospitals treated casualties. Staff from St Thomas’s, yards from the attack on Westminster Bridge, rushed to help the injured there.
But the most seriously hurt were taken to three of the capital’s four regional trauma centres: King’s College in Camberwell, St Mary’s in Paddington and the Royal London in Whitechapel. The Chelsea and Westminster hospital also dealt with some of the injured.
Four university students were injured as they were caught up in the attack on Westminster Bridge, the Press Association has reported.
They were among a group of 13 students and a lecturer from Edge Hill University, in Ormskirk, who were on the first day of a two-day educational visit to the Houses of Parliament.
The students had just left Parliament and made their way on to Westminster Bridge after they had watched Prime Minister’s Questions and met with MPs.
Among those injured were Owen Lambert, 18, from Morecambe, Lancs, who needed stitches to a head wound, and Travis Frain, from Darwen.
Dr John Cater, Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University, told BBC North West Tonight: “They had just actually finished their session, were leaving the Parliament building and in the Westminster Bridge area where we understand ... they were involved in the incident.
“We understand that two students have been taken to hospital but as walking wounded - one with a head wound and one with a wrist injury. There are two other students who have minor injuries who are with police and acting as witnesses.
“The good news is that the other nine students are now back in a hostel receiving support and will return to the North West tomorrow.”
He added: “The details are invariably hazy I guess.Our assumption is that they were either knocked over by other people or struck by the vehicle. Obviously all of them will be somewhat traumatised by what they have seen as well.”
Earlier, the university tweeted: “All students and lecturer in Westminster have been accounted for and are being supported by the university.”
Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, has offered his sympathy to the family to the fallen officer and all those killed and injured. He said:
We offer our deepest sympathy to the family of the officer who has died. Our thoughts are also with all those killed and injured.
This incident sadly shows the dangers our colleagues face on a daily basis. They show incredible bravery protecting the public.
The Metropolitan Police Federation will be supporting the officer’s colleagues in any way we can.
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Leader of the Labour Party, has issued a statement:
Today’s horrific attack in Westminster has shocked the whole country. All our thoughts are with the victims of this outrage, their loved ones, families and friends.
Those victims include civilians and police officers, Londoners and visitors, subjected to a brutal and indiscriminate assault.
Our thanks and gratitude go to the police and emergency services who responded so bravely, and to those – including the MP Tobias Ellwood – who went to the aid of the injured and dying.
This was not only an attack on innocent people. It was also an attack on our democracy.
But I know that Londoners and people across the country will stand together in defence of our values and diversity.
Romania’s foreign ministry says two Romanians were wounded in a deadly attack in London’s Westminster, the Associated Press have reported.
The ministry said the two had been taken to a hospital for treatment. There were no further details on the identity of the two or how seriously they were injured. The ministry said it had been informed by authorities in London.
My colleague Haroon Siddique earlier talked to a man who was waiting outside St Thomas’s A&E trying to glean information about Two Romanian friends who he feared had been caught up in the attack.
He said a Romanian couple he met on a trip to Thailand, were on the bridge when it occurred. He was supposed to meet them at the London Eye but called when they failed to show up. We can’t confirm if it is the same people confirmed as injured by the Romanian foreign ministry.
Andy Sparrow is among those making his way home from Westminster, after all those who had been on lockdown were allowed to leave.
But stay with us here on the Guardian liveblog for news updates as we get them.
We are still waiting for a fuller statement from the prime minister who is chairing a Cobra emergency meeting this evening.
Pauline Cranmer, London Ambulance Service deputy director of operations, has given further details of the injured. She said:
Our thoughts are with the friends and families of those affected by today’s incident.
We treated 12 patients for serious injuries, who were all taken to hospital. Eight further patients were treated for less serious injuries at the scene.
We were called to the incident at 2.40pm today, with the first ambulance crew arriving within six minutes.
We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, London’s Air Ambulance and specialist teams trained to respond to this type of incident.
We have been working closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene, with our priority being to ensure patients received the medical help they needed as quickly as possible.
We declared a major incident and our priority was to assess patients and ensure that they were treated and taken to hospital as soon as possible.
I would like to thank our staff and the other emergency services who responded today.
Commenting on today’s attack in Westminster a spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union, which represents Met police security staff in the Palace of Westminster and civil servants in nearby government buildings, said:
Our thoughts are with the victims of this horrific attack and their families. We also send our solidarity to police and security staff in parliament and all those who work in and around Westminster, including MPs, their employees and civil servants.
The lockdown of Westminster seems to be over, after several hours.
Around 1,000 people were in Westminster Abbey, including parliament workers as well as MPs. They were interviewed by police to see if they had any information that could help the inquiry.
All the people working on the parliamentary estate who were being held in Westminster Hall have also been allowed to leave. MPs who were held in other parts of the building have also been allowed out.
London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has issued this video statement, saying Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism.
Londoners will never be cowed by terrorism. pic.twitter.com/LTLhgZ7OLQ
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 22, 2017