Horrific Accident leaves City in ruins

Thousands of people are being evacuated from central London, with the City ablaze, amidst the worst scenes of death and carnage since World War Two.

In a terrible accident earlier this evening, the London Eye apparantly broke away from it's retaining bolts, and rolled through the streets and across the river Thames, crushing buildings under foot, and cutting power and communication lines as terrified residents and city workers fled for their lives.

London Eye: Deathtrap

Rush-hour traffic came to a standstill, as commuters tried desperately to escape the dark looming shadow of the 450-foot diameter observation wheel as it creaked off it's hinges and ploughed through the banks of the River Thames.

Passengers were still on board many of the compartments, and there are shocking reports of bodies being simply hurled into the air as the Eye rolled out of control, travelling almost a mile from it's 'home' near Waterloo Bridge.

Toppled

The 2500-tonne monster finally toppled over onto its side close to St. Paul's Cathedral, severely damaging the building upon impact, and causing a series of explosions, with earth tremors repercushioning across the entire country.

Firefighters and rescue workers are set to work around the clock, retrieving bodies from the rubble, as fear and confusion hangs over the city, now shrouded with a thick fog of ash, fumes and debris.

All roads into the capital have been sealed off, with access only granted to ambulances and police vehicles, while local hospitals are on emergency alert, as survivors are airlifted from the wreckage of once-proud buildings like tiny crayons from a packet of child's crayons.

St. Paul's: Firefighters work to extinguish the blaze

Reduced to Ruins

Among the other famous edifices reduced to ruins are the South Bank Centre, the Oxo Wharf, and, with the final fall of the wheel, the Bank of England - London's most significant monument to Global Captialism.

The Head Office of British Airways, who were involved in the construction of the Eye, escaped impact by a matter of feet, falling between the spokes when the giant skeletal disc fell to the ground.

Trading in the City has been indefinitely suspended, due to damage to other important buildings in the financial sector, but share prices in the US and Asian markets have already slumped dramatically as a result of the events.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, currently on holiday in France, addressed the nation within minutes of the tragic accident, while Britain has also recieved messages of sympathy and support from US President George W. Bush, and the French Prime Minister Dr. Helmut Kohl.

Fatalities

HEAR HEAR

Eyewitness Reports from the scene (MP3/110k/55s)

It is too early to estimate the number of fatalities, but early estimates suggest that around 90% of the 800 passengers aboard the wheel will have lost their lives, along with several hundred more in the buildings and streets on the ground.

It is not yet known exactly what caused the wheel to come unstuck. Human error, a lack of safety testing, terrorists fiddling with the screws, or the most chilling prospect of all: That the machinery somehow developed a mind of it's own and deliberately set out to wreak havoc on a City, taking untold human lives.

While people who live within a three mile radius of centre point are being advised to vacate the area for the next 24 hours, outer London residents are urged to remain in their homes.