Up to 7 said killed in London terror attack by ‘men with hunting knives’

Multiple casualties and up to seven fatalities were reported early Sunday morning after a vehicle veered off the road and mowed down pedestrians on London Bridge and gunshots rang out amid reports of knife attacks at nearby Borough Market, in what police have declared a terrorist incident.

The violence turned a summery Saturday night in an area packed with bars and restaurants into a scene of panic and chaos, with officers running through crowded streets screaming for people to flee and lifeboats drafted to help clear the area.

It was not immediately clear how many victims the attack claimed but reports ranged from at least one to seven.

At least 20 patients were taken to London hospitals following the terror attack, the British capital’s ambulance service said Sunday.

“We can confirm we have taken at least 20 patients to six hospitals across London following the incident at London Bridge,” the London Ambulance Service said in a statement.

Witnesses on London Bridge reported seeing a van mounting the pavement and hitting pedestrians and several men with knives running after potential victims.

“There was a van that crashed into the fences on London Bridge. And then there was a man with a knife, he was running. He came down the stairs and went to the bar,” Dee, 26, who was visibly in shock and declined to give her last name, told AFP.

Gerard Kavanar, 46, said he had seen a chef with “blood on his shoulder” in the area.

The Sun newspaper reported a group of five men wearing stab-proof vests began “attacking revelers with hunting knives” after leaving the van.

Prime Minister Theresa May said it was a potential act of terrorism and the Metropolitan Police force said it had declared the attacks as “terrorist incidents.”

Police said they were called just after 10 p.m. local time to reports of a vehicle hitting pedestrians on the bridge, which crosses the River Thames in central London.

Soon after, there were reported stabbings at nearby Borough Market, an area full of bars and restaurants.

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The force said armed officers were sent to the scenes and shots were fired. They did not say if officers fired the shots.

The force initially said officers were also responding to a reported third incident, in the Vauxhall area of London. But they said later that turned out to be an unrelated stabbing.

The force tweeted a warning telling people in the area to run to safety, hide and then call police if it is safe to do so.

#Londonbridge #boroughmarket #vauxhall pic.twitter.com/a7OciBEBjH

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) June 3, 2017

May said that “following updates from police and security officials, I can confirm that the terrible incident in London is being treated as a potential act of terrorism.”

She said it was a fast-moving investigation and her thoughts were with “those who are caught up in these dreadful events.”

May’s office said she would chair a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee on Sunday.

About two hours after the first reports of an incident, television images showed people walking away from the London Bridge area with their hands on their heads. Police tweeted that Londoners should “remain calm but be alert and vigilant.”

Nick Brandon of British Transport Police said the force had received reports of “multiple” casualties. He said he did not know how serious the injuries were.

Witnesses reported seeing injured people on the ground on the bridge. One, Holly Jones, told the BBC a white van veered off the road and struck as many as six people. She said she saw at least four or five people on the ground.

Another witness, The Spectator editor Will Heaven, said he saw people who appeared to have been hit, and one being put into an ambulance.

“We saw injured people on the road, injured people on the pavement,” he told Sky News.

The Sun newspaper, whose offices are beside London Bridge, also reported hearing explosions about three hours after the attacks began. It said the blasts were believed to be controlled explosions carried out by police.

This is the third terrorist attack to hit Britain in as many months.

In March, a British convert to Islam ran down people with a vehicle on Westminster Bridge, killing four, then stabbed a policeman to death outside Parliament.

On May 22, a British suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. After that attack, Britain’s official threat level from terrorism was raised to “critical,” meaning an attack may be imminent. Several days later it was lowered to “severe,” meaning an attack is highly likely.

A charity concert for victims of the Manchester attack, featuring Grande and other stars, is due to be held in the northwest English city on Sunday.