Acid thug targets mum

London acid attack: Thug targets mother and her two children in Clapham South leaving her screaming ‘my eyes’ - as manhunt continues after NINE people were hurt including hero passers-by and police.

London: A mother screamed ‘my eyes’ after she and her two children were injured in a suspected acid attack before the thug fled the scene, witnesses say.

The three victims were among nine people injured, with eight needing hospital treatment, after the horror incident in south London, police said. Those hurt included hero passers-by who rushed to the family’s aid and police officers responding to the attack.

Officers have launched an investigation after a suspected corrosive substance was thrown at the trio in Lessar Avenue, Clapham South.

And the Met Police are now engaging in a manhunt, using a helicopter in their pursuit of the attacker. Forensics teams at the scene could be seen inspecting a coffee cup which may have been used to throw the acid.

A witness who said he had tried to clean the chemical from the woman’s face told Sky News: ‘It was horrific. First a man grabbed his kid - a girl aged two or three from a white car. He threw her onto the floor - twice! It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.

‘The man then threw something at the woman. She was screaming, ‘my eyes! My eyes!’

‘I then ran into my house, grabbed a water bottle and threw water on her eyes. Her lips were black. Her skin looked burnt.’

His partner, a woman in her 20s, added that they had both come back from hospital after drops of the substance also got on her. Beside the family three other people - who are all adults - were also rushed to hospitals after sustaining injuries.

A further three police officers received medical attention after responding to the scene, although their injuries were said to be minor.

All but the first three were said to have been ‘inadvertently’ injured while rushing to the family’s aid.

Photos from the scene show an abandoned white Hyundai i20 hatchback abandoned with its doors open on the street where homes sell for as much as £3million.

Photo: Daily Mail Forensics at the scene inspect an abandoned white Hyundai i20 hatchback abandoned with its doors open on the street where homes sell for as much as £3million.