Local Police have closed the #London Bridge after a van hit several pedestrians at the iconic landmark Saturday night. Witnesses told BBC that the van left the road and struck several people walking nearby. Witnesses also reported that armed authorities have arrived at the scene, along with Unconfirmed Reports of gunfire and stabbings,
Images filled with emergency vehicles at the site almost immediately began populating social media feeds across Europe and the United States. The hashtag #LondonBridge began to dominate Twitter only moments after the incident, a testimony to the influence of first-person digital reporting during such emergencies.
London Bridge: A panic-filled Scene
The Sun, a U.K. news publication, reported that local authorities were seen grabbing residents and tourists in the area and ordering them to flee the scene. In addition, the Independent, another U.K. news source, reported that the Transport for London instructed travelers to steer clear of the area. The U.K. Metropolitan Police confirmed via Twitter its personnel are "on scene at the London Bridge" dealing with an incident but has not yet issued further details.
The Sun also reported that witnesses stated that emergency-responders are conducting #CPR on bodies on the ground and that a bomb squad has arrived at the scene. Again, these are the early reports of eyewitnesses and have not been confirmed by leading media outlets or local authorities.
London Bridge: Latest European Terror Attack?
Eyewitness and Spectator journalist Will Heaven reported via Twitter that the incident appears to be a Terrorist Attack. If so, it would be on the heels of the attacks late last month in Manchester. That attack killed more than 20 people and was deemed the worst terrorist attack in Great Britain in more than a dozen years.
The residents of #Paris, #Berlin, and several other European cities have also been victims of terrorist attacks over the past several months. Each of those attacks spurred a flood of social media posts containing breaking news reports, as well as expressions of sympathy and outrage.
While it remains uncertain as to who caused the attacks, some witnesses reported seeing at least one man carted away in handcuffs.
Those reports remain unconfirmed by the Metropolitan Police and other local authorities.
The Metropolitan Police did tweet, however, that its armed personnel were dealing with an additional incident at #Borough Market. The additional incident has raised questions as to whether the incidents are related and part of a series of attacks in the London area.
