At least 22 people were injured in an explosion on a local London underground train on Friday, the BBC reported. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said that most of the injured were suffering from flash burns.

The Metropolitan Police have declared the incident at the Parsons Green tube station in West London a terror attack, which they said was carried out using an improvised explosive device. Armed officers and a bomb disposal squad have been sent to the scene. Initial reports had said that some of the passengers were “really badly burned” and their “hair was coming off”.

The incident took place around 8.20 am local time (12.50 pm Indian Standard Time) when a white container is believed to have exploded. The BBC posted a photo showing a white bucket in flames that was shared on Twitter by a commuter.

The police have issued a public appeal, asking anyone who has information or images on the incident to share it with them. Britain has already seen four terror attacks that killed 36 people this year.

Political reactions

Prime Minister Theresa May called the attack cowardly, and said the device was intended to cause “significant harm” after a meeting of the government’s emergencies committee, according to The Guardian. She added that the threat level will remain at severe for now, and not increase to critical, though no arrests have been made yet.

“My thoughts are with those injured at Parsons Green and emergency services who are responding bravely to this terrorist incident,” a post on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Twitter account had said earlier in the day.

May also condemned United States President Donald Trump’s reaction to the blast. She said, “I never think it’s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.” Trump had used the explosion to promote his travel ban on several countries. He said, “Another attack in London by a loser terrorist.These are sick and demented people who were in the sights of Scotland Yard”. He added that the travel ban in the United States should be larger and more specific. Later in the day though, Trump called May to “offer his condolences over this morning’s cowardly attack in London”, a Downing Street spokesperson said.