7/7 medic 'did not know of fatalities'

A SENIOR paramedic sent to the 7/7 bus blast said it was 30 minutes after arriving before he knew anyone had died.

Terence Williamson, an operations manager for London Ambulance Service, arrived at Tavistock Square after Hasib Hussain blew up the No 30 bus.

Hussain, 18, detonated his homemade explosives with the bus next to the headquarters of the British Medical Association. Doctors inside the building rushed out to help.

The inquest into the 52 victims of four attacks on London on 7 July, 2005 heard this week that the first paramedic arrived within minutes of being dispatched to another bombing.

By 10:05am this crew had twice phoned to request back-up and relay news of casualties and the dead. But crews were only dispatched at 10:42.

Mr Williamson said he was sent to the scene only after reports of a second explosion at Tavistock Square. This was the controlled explosion of a package conducted at 10:40am.

He was not given the information which was phoned in earlier that day by paramedics Jessica Ashford and colleague Nadene Conway, he said.

He also said despite attending a Gold Command meeting - of high-ranking emergency services leaders - he did not know there had been a bomb on the Tube between King's Cross and Russell Square.

Mr Williamson told the inquest that his radio did not work and communications with central ambulance control were very poor. When he arrived it was "initially a very quiet scene", he added.