Subway Fire Follows Bomb Scare
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LONDON — A subway train delayed by a bomb scare caught fire Tuesday, forcing officials to evacuate 5,000 passengers from the London Underground, authorities said.
The incident occurred one day after the Irish Republican Army claimed responsibility for bombing two railway stations.
London Underground spokeswoman Jocelyn Baker said police and bomb squads halted traffic Tuesday on the heavily traveled Central Line after suspicious packages were found at the central London stations on Liverpool and Bond streets.
As officials checked the packages, a small fire broke out in one train. Baker said the cause of the fire was not known, but there was no indication that it was started intentionally.
No bombs were found in either package, she said.
Thirty-three people were taken to three London hospitals, most suffering from shock, smoke inhalation and “general exhaustion due to the panic,” a spokesman said.
Some passengers were stranded for more than five hours before they were evacuated.
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