Film shows gory blast scenes

LONDON - As the police camera panned across the mangled and blood-spattered Tube carriages, the inquest saw in graphic detail the carnage caused by the four bombers on July 7, 2005.

Windows and doors had been smashed and buckled, littering the floor with glass shards. In some cases the doors had been blown off the train and lay by the side of the tracks. Hand rails were bent and the roofs of some of the carriages had collapsed.

On the floors, bloodstains were visible alongside newspapers which carried reports of the previous day's news that London had been chosen to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

Also present were the belongings of those who had either died or had fled the carriage - a hooded top, a dark blue suitcase, a leather satchel.

The footage had been filmed hours after the trains had been evacuated and the signs of how paramedics had battled to save the dying were still visible. Stretchers, surgical gloves and first aid kits lay on the floors.

The footage was filmed by forensic officers at the site of the bombings at Edgware Rd, Aldgate and Russell Square. It has never been shown previously.

The Metropolitan Police objected to its release on the grounds that the images would be used by extremists as propaganda. Only a 30-second clip was released to the media.

- Independent