Anxious relatives phone London helpline
There are still no reports of any Irish casualties from yesterday’s London bombings but an emergency helpline has been receiving many calls from Irish people seeking information on loved ones, officials said today.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said the emergency phone line set up yesterday had been receiving lots of calls from people worried about friends and relatives in the British capital.
In the wake of the bombs, many people were unable to get through to the UK as the mobile networks were jammed with callers checking their loved ones were safe.
“We’re not aware of any reports of Irish casualties, and the consular section is working very closely with the embassy in London,” the spokeswoman said.
Scotland Yard put the confirmed death toll at 37 but that looked set to rise with 95 seriously injured among the 300 casualties taken to hospital.
An emergency centre has been set up in the Department of Foeign Affairs in Ireland for anyone in the Republic and the North concerned about relatives in London.
It can be contacted on 1800 242 548.
An emergency centre has also been set up at the Irish Embassy in London for Irish citizens based in Britain. The Embassy’s numbers for those citizens are 020 7201 2508 or 020 7201 2501.
