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Suspected WWII bomb close to UK parliament prompts evacuation

The area sealed off included Horse Guards Avenue where the Old War Office Building is located

Afp January 20, 2017

Westminister Police and the Royal Navy worked to remove the ordinance from the Thames. PHOTO: TWITTER

LONDON: London's Westminster Bridge in the shadow of parliament's Big Ben clock tower was closed on Thursday after a suspected World War II bomb was found in the River Thames, police said.

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Police closed the bridge leading to the Houses of Parliament at around 5:15 pm (1715 GMT), while Westminster underground station was evacuated at around 6:00 pm.

Westminster Police took to Twitter to keep public informed.

We're still at #Embankment working with @RoyalNavy to remove the ordinance from the Thames. Closures remain in place. pic.twitter.com/7RwJYwsVjS
— Westminster Police | Central West BCU (@MPSWestminster) January 20, 2017

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The tube station partially reopened at 6.45 pm, a Transport for London spokesperson told AFP. After the suspected bomb was found in the river by Victoria Embankment, police cleared the area of people and also closed Waterloo Bridge which later partially reopened.

https://twitter.com/MPSWestminster/status/822302349762830336

The area sealed off included Horse Guards Avenue where the Old War Office Building is located, which was used by the British government during World War II and was bombed. More than 12,000 metric tons of bombs were dropped on the British capital during the war, according to London's Imperial War Museum.