Victoria station closed: Eyewitness tells of 'stampede' after police order commuters to evacuate Tube

Eyewitness describes 'stampede' as police ordered commuters to run

Victoria underground station is currently closed (Niklas Halle'n/Getty Images)

A witness has described the panic at Victoria station when police ordered commuters to evacuate the Underground after a man was hit by a train.

The busy central London station was shut at approximately 10:30am following reports of someone being struck by a train and people being removed on stretchers.

One eyewitness, Chloe Hamilton described the panic as police ordered commuters "to run as fast as we could".

She said she was sitting on the northbound Victoria line at the station shortly before 10:30am when they heard the automated message calling for evacuation.

Ms Hamilton said: "We all started politely filing out single file and one guy asked the guard 'what's going on?' and the guard responded 'there is a man on the train' so everyone started to panic.

"The train was half on the platform, half in the tunnel so we kind of walked through the train to get to the platform. When we managed to get on the platform there were lots of policeman and they were all shouting run! Run and get out now, so we ran.

"There was a stampede. I’ve never been more frightened in my life. They literally yelled at us to run. I fell over twice on the escalator and hurt my leg because I was sprinting so fast.

"Thought I was going to get left behind. A man picked me up and we kept on running. Fire engines and more police cars were pulling up as I left the station."

A British Transport Police spokesman said: “We were called to Victoria Underground station at 10.13am on Monday, 13 July, following a report of a person struck by a train.

“BTP officers attended the northbound Victoria line platform, alongside colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade. A man was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Officers are currently working to identify the man and inform his family. The incident is currently not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”