London blasts toll is 52 - Australian PM
Australian Prime Minister John Howard today said he had information that the deadly blasts in London had killed 52 people.
“The latest information I have is the death toll currently is 52,” Mr Howard said. He did not say where he got the information.
London authorities say at least 37 killed were killed in almost simultaneous blasts yesterday in three of the city’s passenger trains and a bus.
Mr Howard said the attack would only strengthen the resolve of nations involved in the war on terror. Australia, along with Britain, is among the staunchest supporters of Washington’s military action in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In a nationally televised news conference, Mr Howard confirmed that seven Australians were wounded and said one of them was in “very critical” condition.
Some 300,000 Australians live and work in Britain, the vast majority of them in London.
Mr Howard said his plan to visit Britain later this month, after a trip to Washington for talks with US President George W. Bush, would not be affected by the blasts.
“It will not change in any way my plans to be in London in some two weeks time,” he said.
“It is more important than ever that I go there. It was an important time before the events of the last 24 hours. It is doubly important now,” he added.
The bombings, which injured hundreds, would not deter the government from sending more troops to Afghanistan, Howard said. The government has been considering bolstering its forces in the country and is expected to make a decision soon.
“We have not taken a decision, but if anybody imagines that these attacks will intimidate the Australian government in any way they would be wrong,” he said.
Mr Howard said Australia will send a team of six experts to help British authorities with their investigation.
Australian police gained valuable experience sifting through the wreckage of terror bombings for clues when they helped their Indonesian counterparts investigate the October 2002 Bali bombings which killed 202 including 88 Australians and more than 30 Britons.
Attorney General Philip Ruddock said that Australia would not raise its terror alert in the aftermath of the London blasts, but state governments across the country boosted security on public transport.
Meanwhile, Australia’s national carrier Qantas Airways Ltd offered refunds to passengers booked on flights to Britain this month who no longer want to travel.
In an earlier interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Howard said the attacks “will in fact steel the determination of people who recognise the threat that terrorism poses to democratic societies, to go on with the fight against terrorism".
The Australian and Aboriginal flags hung at half-mast from Sydney Harbour Bridge today as a mark of respect for those killed in the blasts.
