Jackie Chan bomb stunt sparks panic in central London

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"90526","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]A double-decker bus "exploded" yards from M15's headquarters in London yesterday morning, prompting fears of a terrorist attack and leaving onlookers worried and confused. However, the blast on Lambeth Bridge was just a stunt for a new Jackie Chan film called The Foreigner.

The special-effects explosion, which shot flames 100ft into the air, left the bus without a roof.

The film's producers have been criticised for failing to warn the public adequately.

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The blast was reminiscent of the 2005 terror attacks of the capital, in which 13 people died on a bus in Russell Square, says the Daily Telegraph.

Local residents and business owners were informed, with notices posted in lobbies and lifts, says the newspaper, but many tourists and passers-by thought the explosion was real.

"So with the country on terrorist alert who thought blowing up a bus on Lambeth Bridge for a film was a good idea? Money talking again," wrote one tweeter.

Conservative MP Nigel Huddleston, who witnessed the blast, said "the scale and realism of the explosion would have worried a lot of people". The film-makers "could clearly have done a better job at communicating", he said, "especially in time of heightened security".

Other critics took issue with the director's grasp of London's public transport system, pointing out that the 211 bus route does not cross Lambeth Bridge.

A notice from the film-makers, posted on Twitter, stated: "The explosion is controlled and operated by our special effects team.

"Every precaution will be taken to ensure the safety of the people in the area."

The Foreigner, which sees 61-year-old Chan starring alongside Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, is an action thriller about a restaurant owner in Chinatown tracking down a group of Irish terrorists responsible for the death of his daughter.