COMMUTERS CAUGHT IN BLAST
Act of evil won’t defeat us.. let’s have a nice brew
TEARS A commuter is consoled by policewoman at the scene SLICE ONE Teo hands out pizza to medics IN the wake of a terror attack designed to spread fear and despair, Londoners responded with breathtaking kindness.
Free pizza, cups of tea and spare phone chargers went on offer within minutes of the rush-hour attack as residents refused to kowtow to terrorism.
Many posted signs on their front doors inviting anyone affected to come inside if they needed anything – from a brew to simply using the loo.
At the police cordon, Teo Citino, 52, owner of nearby restaurant Il Pagliaccio, loaded a picnic table with free pizza for the emergency services.
“One of the reasons I’m here is that my wife and daughter could have been on that train,” he said with a shudder. “I rang my wife right away, they were evacuated from the house in pyjamas.
“They usually get the train to go to my daughter’s school, she is 12-years-old.” He KIND Sign offering tea & wifi
added: “It is also a way to say thank you to the fire brigade, police and nurses.”
Hammersmith and Fulham council opened a local community centre as a refuge for those caught up in the carnage or evacuated from their homes.
Chelsea and Fulham Dentist, a fiveminute walk from the Tube station, offered people a place to shelter too. Dentist Dahlia Sunba said: “I could see people wandering around aimlessly. It’s unnerving and people look distressed.
“We have tea and coffee and biscuits. There’s lots of plug sockets if they need to charge their phone or make a call.”
On Facebook, Antonia Pugh-Thomas, who owns a shop on Fulham Road, posted: “Thank you to everybody who has checked to see that we’re okay in the shop as the bomb drama unfolds. We’re safe.”
And social media was awash with people offering a comforting hot drink to those caught up in the aftermath.
Katy Dunn was one of many who tweeted: “If anyone is feeling shocked or confused at #ParsonsGreen, I’m round the corner and the kettle’s on.”