London bombing
The scale of what happened this morning in London is not yet entirely clear. As far as I know none of my friends and colleagues were not involved, but there are many who I don't know for sure weren't. Having spent five years half expecting an attack, but having always assumed it would be targeted on the City or Docklands, rather than the area around UCL - Tavistovk Sq, Russel Sq and Great Portland Street, and with Si living at Sandwich St, the concurrent feelings of closeness and distance as a result of being in Venice are really quite strange. I don't really have anything to say, and yet...A dark day.
3 Comments:
A soon as I got in this morning I emailed everyone I could think of and have had a reply from most. It's been hard to get the scale of what happened just from looking at the internet reports. I've had Radio5Live streaming continuously most of the day. My mates still at UCL seem to be ok. Because the initial reports of the bombing were just saying it was a power surge on the tube a lot of people went in to work not quite realising what was going on. Mike got into work, but was saying it was pretty chaotic outside. Michelle walked past UCL not quite knownign what had happened and said it was completely cordened off. Hopefully everyone's ok. I'm not sure what London will be like next time I visit.
It's a weird feeling being out of the country when something like this happens. Well, I'm staying in America where it's safe -- no wait, that can't be right...
Far weirder still to be living right in the centre of it (my Sandwich St. Flat is in the centre of a triangle made by Tavistock Square, Russell Square and Kings Cross) and yet to feel so totally distant from it all. First I heard was when I turned on the computer (although Patric suspects he heard the blast of the Tavistock Square bus). No tangible connection to any of it, except for the fact that police have closed off the areas South and West of me, and the sirens and helicoptors that are still going... Very, very hard to connect news reports with the fact that it has happened all around me. "About 50" have died, the police now say - perhaps not quite on the scale people initially feared, although that cannot diminish the despicable nature of this mass murder - tragically, something that occurs all too frequently around the world, this wicked act exceptional only for the choice of target.
Post a Comment
<< Home