- "The policeman said 'mind that hole, that's where
the bomb was'. The metal was pushed upwards as if the bomb was underneath
the train. They seem to think the bomb was left in a bag, but I don't remember
anybody being where the bomb was, or any bag," he said.
-
- Full story -
-
- 'I Was In The Tube Bomb Carriage - And Survived'
-
- Cambridge Evening News - UK
- 7-25-5
-
- Cambridge dancer Bruce Lait has spoken of his miraculous
escape when a bomb exploded just yards away from him in a Tube train carriage.
-
- The 32-year-old was knocked out by the blast and awoke
to a terrible scene of devastation in the underground tunnel near London's
Aldgate East station.
-
- Mr Lait, who teaches dance in Cambridge, believes he
and his dance partner Crystal Main were the only passengers in the carriage
who survived the blast without serious injury - even though they were sitting
nearest to where the bomb detonated.
-
- When he came to, there was a body lying on top of him
and he was surrounded by the dead and injured. But incredibly, the only
wounds the dance coach sustained were facial lacerations and a perforated
eardrum.
-
- "I feel extremely, extremely lucky," he said.
-
- The explosion happened just after Mr Lait and Ms Main,
23, got on the train at Liverpool Street on their way to the South Bank
for a rehearsal.
-
- He recalled that the carriage had about 20-25 people
in it, from all walks of life, and aged from their teens to over 60.
-
- "I remember an Asian guy, there was a white guy
with tracksuit trousers and a baseball cap, and there were two old ladies
sitting opposite me," he said.
-
- "We'd been on there for a minute at most and then
something happened. It was like a huge electricity surge which knocked
us out and burst our eardrums. I can still hear that sound now," he
said.
-
- The impact of the blast made him pass out. As he came
to, he wondered whether he was alive or dead.
-
- "We were right in the carriage where the bomb was.
I was knocked out. I did not know what was going on.
-
- "I wondered if I was dead or not. I said to myself,
you can't be dead because your brain is having conscious thoughts, so concentrate
hard. I was telling myself 'wake up Bruce, wake up'."
-
- Disorientated, he only gradually realised where he was
and what had happened.
-
- "When I woke up and looked around I saw darkness,
smoke and wreckage. It took a while to realise where I was and what was
going on, then my first concern was for Crystal.
-
- "She was okay but she was in shock because she was
trying to deal with the person on top of her who had massive head injuries.
We have just found out that this person died," said Mr Lait, who lives
in Suffolk.
-
- He too was afraid to move because there was a seriously
injured woman lying on top of him.
-
- "I realised someone was lying on top of me. I tried
not to move her because I didn't know if she was still alive, or I could
have made it worse. This person also died, while on top of me."
-
- At the same time, he slowly tried to work out whether
he or Crystal had been injured.
-
- "I thought if I can wiggle my toes I'm okay, and
I could, and I asked Crystal to do the same."
-
- Describing the scene as they waited for help, he said:
"It was just the most awful scene of death and there were body parts
everywhere. There was something next to me. I was trying not to look. I
couldn't figure out what it was."
-
- When paramedics arrived, they confirmed that the woman
on top of him was dead and carefully moved her body. Mr Lait said the middle-aged
woman had blonde curly hair, was dressed in black, and could have been
a businesswoman.
-
- He and Crystal were helped out of the carriage. As they
made their way out, a policeman pointed out where the bomb had been. It
was like a huge electricity surge which knocked us out and burst our eardrums.
-
- "The policeman said 'mind that hole, that's where
the bomb was'. The metal was pushed upwards as if the bomb was underneath
the train. They seem to think the bomb was left in a bag, but I don't remember
anybody being where the bomb was, or any bag," he said.
-
- They were led through the tunnel to the platform at Aldgate,
which was just a few hundred yards away, and taken out of the station to
wait for an ambulance.
-
- Mr Lait was taken to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel,
where he was visited by the Queen on Friday.
-
- He said: "They asked would I mind if my name were
put forward and I said I'd love to meet the Queen, even if the circumstances
weren't ideal."
-
- Sitting with his parents, Pat and Tom, Mr Lait told the
Queen as she stood at his bedside: "I'm very thankful to still be
here."
-
- He said of Her Majesty: "She just seemed very nice
and concerned, she seemed very genuine."
-
- Now back at home, he has been trying to recover from
the ordeal, with the help of friends and family.
-
- Mr Lait, who teaches the Latin formation team XS, based
in Cambridge, and the Cambridge Dancers' Club, said he has been moved by
people's care and consideration.
-
- And he said the terrible experience has given him a new
outlook on life.
-
- "It has made me realise how important life is, and
that we only get one life, and we've got to be happy with what we've got
in our lives."
-
- Reflecting on the ordeal, he said: "Out of that
whole carriage, I think Crystal and I were the only ones who were not seriously
injured, and I think we were nearest the bomb.
-
- "It makes me thank Him up there. I'm not overly
religious but I'm not a disbeliever. I pray now and again. Something like
this has just made me think, 'thank you Lord'."
-
- ----------------------
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- http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/region_wide/2005/07/11/
83e33146-09af-4421-b2f4-1779a86926f9.lpf
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