London authorities label rush-hour train fire a 'terrorist incident,' say 18 injured

London's Metropolitan Police are calling a fire on a train at the Parsons Green Tube station in southwest London during Friday's morning commute a "terrorist incident." It is "too early to confirm the cause of the fire, which will be subject to the investigation that is now underway by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command," police say. The London Ambulance Service says 18 people were taken to the hospital, none with serious or life-threatening injuries.

BBC London correspondent Riz Lateef was at the station and reported widespread panic after people heard "what appeared to be an explosion," and a photo posted on social media showed a white bucket in a bag with fire coming out. BBC News anchor Sophie Raworth said she saw people with bad burns being carried from the station.

Media consultant Richard Aylmer-Hall, 53, said he saw some people injured in the panic to leave the train, too. "I saw crying women, there was lots of shouting and screaming, there was a bit of a crush on the stairs going down to the streets," he told the BBC. Another witness described what she saw to Raworth.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the city "will never be intimidated or defeated by terrorism" and encouraged Londoners to remain "calm and vigilant." Peter Weber

This is a breaking news story and has been updated throughout.