Witnesses who were nearby when a police boat carrying armed officers crashed into Westminster Bridge on the River Thames describe what they saw.
Witnesses to a central London boat crash in which five police officers were injured have described sounds of an “explosion” and signs of a pursuit.
A Metropolitan Police boat from the force’s Marine Policing Unit, which was carrying armed officers, crashed into Westminster Bridge on the River Thames at around 3.40pm on Friday, the Met said.
A number of officers entered the water, but were recovered and seen being treated by paramedics on a rigid black inflatable boat moored to the side of the river.
A couple from the United States said they heard “an explosion” when the boat struck the bridge, adding it was travelling at “high speed” and seemed to be in pursuit of something further up the river.
Jim Bagley, who was visiting the capital from Gloucester, Massachusetts, with his wife told the Press Association: “We were standing in line to get onto the city cruise hop on, hop off tours, and we saw two police boats coming up the river.
“One was an orange boat that went under the bridge and left a great big wave, and then there was a black boat that came up behind it, the police boat.
“It looks to me that he got stuck in the wake of the other boat that had just passed through the bridge and slammed into the wall on the opposite side.
“We didn’t see it happen, but we heard the explosion… the next thing we saw was three people in the water, coming down the river.”
The couple then saw other boats on the river attempt to save those stranded in the water, throwing a cargo net and a life ring into the water.
Mr Bagley said: “There was another boat that came up from the river that had an open transom, and they were able to back into the people in the water and drag them onto the back of the boat.”
He added: “We were wondering why they were under way at high speed to begin with, we don’t know why they were being called upriver.”
His wife, Katherine, said: “They were both in pursuit of something farther down the river, but they never… the second boat never got to it because it crashed into the bridge with a big bang.”
A 19-year-old student, who is on holiday in London from Germany, told PA the collision sounded like a “car crash”.
Enno, who did not want to give his last name, said he was walking over the nearby Hungerford Bridge when he heard a “crashing sound”.
He added: “A black boat had crashed into the side of the bridge by the pier. I think around five police officers were in the water, at the same time.
“They looked hurt, but not that much.”
He said that emergency services then rushed to the scene and urged people to “stay away”.
He added: “It sounded like a car crash from around 10 metres away. I had seen the black boat pass under the bridge and once I heard the sound, I saw that it had crashed.”
Following the incident, officers taped off the bridge and cleared the public from it, forcing buses and coaches travelling that way to reverse and find another route.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “We understand five officers were injured and are receiving treatment.
“We await an update on the extent of their injuries.
“At this stage, we don’t believe any members of the public were involved or injured.
“The circumstances of the incident will be thoroughly reviewed, but at this stage our priority is the wellbeing of the officers involved.”
