Bank and Monument fight: Terrifying moment Tube passengers cower in fear on train during rush hour panic sparked by two men brawling

Katy Clifton2 August 2019

Terrifying footage shows Tube passengers cowering in fear on a busy train after a fight at a central London station caused mass panic and a stampede of people “running for their lives”.

Panicked commuters fled in terror at Bank and Monument stations during rush hour this morning in what has since been described as being like “something out of a horror film”.

Witnesses said staff members urged passengers to “run” towards the exits and someone shouted “bomb” amid the panic.

Footage captured by London resident David Nguyen shows the terrifying moment Tube passengers, including a mother and child, cower in fear during the incident.

Tube passengers cowering on the Tube
David Nguyen

The 23-year-old told the Standard he was on the Tube listening to music when he suddenly “saw a huge wave of people running towards the emergency exits” at around 9am on Friday.

“It was so busy that people were pushing and shoving to get out of the train... people started screaming and it just multiplied the panic and people were yelling ‘run’.

“There was no way out without trampling over people so I just tried to remain calm on board the train. I saw a lot of people shoving other people out the way, I saw a woman and children crying.

“Everyone was ducking down because we couldn’t get out... we didn’t know what was going on at all, that’s why everyone thought it was a terror attack.”

Mr Nguyen said “after what felt like a lifetime” the Tube doors closed and the train moved to the next station, adding that the driver announced there had been a “security threat”.

Elizabeth Castle, 36, was also among the surge of terrified commuters running for the exit this morning.

The artist, from New Zealand, told the Standard she was among hundreds of people evacuating who were “running for their lives thinking they were going to die”.

She said: “There were hundreds of people running for their lives thinking they were going to die, people were ducking slightly because they thought they were going to be shot.

“People were running up the wrong escalator trying to go as fast as they could. The staff were so brave, there was one man who was directing people saying ‘run, run, there’s potentially a terrorist’.

“There were so many shoes and suitcases left behind, the thing that really upset me was that a woman’s bright yellow jacket that said ‘baby on board’ badge on it was on the floor.”

Ms Castle said she also left her canvass New Yorker bag, which held her phone, notebooks and a Moschino leopard print purse, behind as it was slowing her down as she ran for the exits.

The response from the emergency services was “incredible”, Ms Castle said, with police and paramedics providing reassurance after she suffered an asthma attack after evacuating.

Police have said two men have been arrested on suspicion of affray.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “BTP officers attended Monument Underground station at 8.54am today after a fire alarm was triggered.

"Enquiries revealed there had been a fight. During the fight, the alarm was pressed. The station was evacuated as a precaution but has since reopened.

"Due to its close proximity, the fire alarm at Bank station was also triggered and the station was evacuated but has also since reopened.

"Two men have been arrested on suspicion of affray. They remain in police custody. No weapons are reported to have been seen during the fight."

Anyone with information about lost property can email the Standard's news desk.

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