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People were evacuated from the London Farringdon Tube station after reports of a suspected gas or chemical incident.
Passengers reported feeling unwell at the station, leading to 14 people needing treatment at the scene by paramedics, while two people were taken to the hospital, the London Ambulance Service said.
The mysterious incident was first reported as a suspected gas leak while firefighters swept the area for a sign of any other chemical substance.
But a London Fire Brigade spokesperson confirmed that no elevated readings were detected.
The patients were reporting throat irritation and watery eyes, Metro understands.
British Transport Police said it believes a small number of people ‘potentially came into contact with an unknown substance which was initially treated as a suspected gas leak.’
It said that armed officers in attendance as part of the emergency response is typical during a significant incident and should not cause concern to the public in this case.
The station was cordoned off for hours, with no train or Underground stopping there until the incident was resolved shortly before midday.
However, major disruption to services is expected until 5pm as trains recover.
The fire brigade said: ‘We were called at 0941 hrs today to a report of a smell of chemicals on an Elizabeth Line platform at Farringdon Station.
‘Firefighters attended and carried out a sweep of the area to check for no elevated readings of any chemical substances.
‘No elevated readings were detected. Fourteen people were treated at the scene with two people taken to hospital as a precaution. Two fire engines, two fire rescue units and specialist officers from the Brigade were in attendance alongside emergency service colleagues.’
People in nearby offices said everyone was left confused after some surrounding buildings were evacuated too.
Carla, a lawyer who works nearby, was one of the evacuated.
She said: ‘People are just confused at the moment. There’s a lot of rumours going around – we’re waiting to hear what it was.
‘The heavy police presence doesn’t look good.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many [police]. It’s a bit nerve-wracking. I think the lack of information is quite scary as well.’
One commuter said he cannot leave his office because of the emergency cordon outside the station on Cowcross Street, with footage showing a group of armed police officers.
National Rail warned that no trains will stop at the station for the time being, including the Elizabeth line, Underground and Thameslink. Trains through Farringdon might also not run their full route or call at other stations, it said.
The entire Elizabeth line is currently reporting severe delays because of the incident, the latest TfL status shows.
What has the reaction been?
London Ambulance Service was alerted to the junction of Farringdon Road and Clerkenwell Road at 9.40am.
It told Metro in a statement: ‘We have sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a paramedic in a fast response car, a clinical team manager and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.’
A TfL spokesperson confirmed that the Elizabeth line was suspended between Paddington and Abbey Wood to allow the emergency services to investigate ‘a suspected gas leak’ at Farringdon.
National Rail said: ‘The emergency services have now completed their work following the earlier incident at Farringdon. All lines have reopened.
‘Please check before you travel as services are still heavily impacted and will take some time for them to recover.
‘Major disruption is expected until 17:00.’
What trains are affected by Farringdon station closure?
Here are all the train routes and services hit by the disruption following the Farringdon incident today.
- Elizabeth line – between Shenfield and London Paddington / Heathrow Terminal 5, and also between Abbey Wood and London Paddington / Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead / Reading
- Thameslink – between Brighton / Three Bridges and Bedford, between Brighton and Cambridge, between Horsham and Peterborough, between Sevenoaks and Finsbury Park / Welwyn Garden City, between Orpington and West Hamstead Thameslink, between Sutton (Surrey) and St Albans City, and also between Rainham (Kent) and Luton
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