A man has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries following a dramatic van explosion that forced the evacuation of a shopping centre in south-west London.
Emergency Response to Queens Road Blast
The incident occurred on Monday morning at approximately 10:06am in an underground car park at the Wimbledon Quarter shopping centre. Emergency services, including paramedics, fire crews, and police officers, hurried to the scene on Queens Road following reports of a significant blast.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed they dispatched multiple resources, including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car, and their specialist Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). They treated a man at the scene for serious burns before taking him to hospital as a priority.
Details of the Incident and Casualty
The Metropolitan Police reported that the injured man, aged in his 60s, was the driver of the van. Authorities believe the explosion happened after the vehicle struck the roof of the car park, causing its contents to detonate.
An image shared on social media platform Reddit showed the extensive damage to the van, with shattered windows, exposed interiors, and debris scattered across the area. The user who posted it described hearing a "massive blast" followed by clouds of dust and smoke.
Ongoing Investigation and Local Impact
In a reassuring statement for local residents, Scotland Yard confirmed they are not treating the explosion as terror-related. The police spokesperson described the incident as "ongoing" while investigations continue.
The explosion prompted the closure of Queens Road in both directions, causing significant disruption. However, Transport for London confirmed that Wimbledon Tube station and mainline railway services continued to operate normally despite the nearby incident.
