Oxford Street explosion: Man injured after electrical blast in central London
Section of busy street was cordoned off after the incident at 7pm on Thursday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has been injured by a small power explosion on one of central London's busiest streets, police said.
A section of Oxford Street was cordoned off after the "power network" blast at around 7pm, Scotland Yard said.
Both police and fire crews were sent to the scene, where the man was said to have suffered minor injuries.
Smoke could be seen rising from the busy thoroughfare as concerned shoppers looked on, in footage posted on social media.
Other images showed the pavement apparently blackened by the explosion.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told The Independent the explosion was not suspicious, but refused to comment further until experts had assessed the situation.
UK Power Networks, which oversees the maintenance of the electrical grid in the south of England, said the fault "occurred on an underground electricity cable affecting the local area".
The body said it did not know when the cordon would be cleared, warning they "may have to dig up the road to carry out repairs".
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments