Five Metropolitan Police officers were injured on Friday after a police boat travelling at speed struck Westminster Bridge on the River Thames. Three officers were thrown into the water and rescued by people on nearby boats.
The incident occurred at around 3.40pm as the boat was responding to a report of a person in the water near Battersea. Witnesses described hearing an explosion and a loud bang. The collision forced the closure of Westminster Bridge to traffic and pedestrians.
Emergency services, including the London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, and RNLI, attended the scene. Five officers were treated at the scene before being taken to hospital; one has since been discharged. A fire service boat later towed the damaged police boat down the Thames.
Onlookers gathered along Victoria Embankment as a police helicopter and air ambulance circled overhead. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
