Carriage fireball triggers stampede

A TERRORIST explosion on a London train has left commuters with serious burns and sent hundreds of others running for their lives, causing a panicked stampede.

The Friday morning commute in Britain’s capital descended into chaos after a “fireball flew down a carriage” at Parsons Green station, in London’s southwest.

Police are treating the incident as terror- related, as images emerge of the suspected improvised explosive device.

The blast, which occurred at 8.20am local time ( 5.20pm Queensland time) came from a plastic bucket inside a shopping bag, left by the tube carriage door.

Images on social media showed several wires coming from the flaming container, which it appears failed to detonate in full.

The Sun quoted an onlooker saying it was like a “fireball flew down a carriage” with panicked commuters diving out an open door.

A man interviewed on BBC News said it was a “wall of flame down a carriage after a bang”.

Counter- terrorism authorities have taken over the investigation after conducting an initial sweep of the area. Whoever planted the improvised explosive device is still at large.

Tube passenger Emma Stevie wrote on Twitter that she was forced to “run for my life”.

London Ambulance Services said 18 people were taken to hospital with a variety of injuries – none thought to be lifethreatening.