8 July 2005

London Bombing - Statement from NZ High Commission, London

At this stage we have not been notified of any injured New Zealanders. We are constantly reviewing information coming through from the emergency services in London dealing with the crisis.

New Zealand High Commission staff are contacting hospitals in the central London area. Information from the hospitals is still limited but we will continue to be working with them to obtain patient lists and match information that we have about New Zealanders who might have been in the affected areas at the time.

Immediately after news of the incident broke the High Commission established its call centre and it has been running all day. High Commission staff have been taking calls from New Zealanders ringing in to register their safety as well as calls from concerned friends and relatives wanting information about the whereabouts of New Zealanders in London.

The level of telephone calls have so far been moderate as it seems many New Zealanders have been able to get in touch with family in New Zealand and vice versa. We have however been taking details of those looking for relatives and have been matching these wherever possible with information that we have had phoned into us.

We recommend New Zealanders in both NZ and the UK call the NZ Red Cross Call Centre - for those in NZ call 0800 Red Cross; for those in the UK call 0064 4 495 8111.

Due to the large numbers of New Zealanders who live in and visit the UK it is hard to gauge how many New Zealanders could be effected by this emergency. We guesstimate up to 100,000 New Zealanders could be in the UK and Ireland at any given time - remembering this is the peak holiday season as well for NZ visitors.

New Zealanders should be reassured that the Metropolitan Police and the emergency service response system in London is well equipped to deal with this situation. We will continue to work closely with them as this situation continues to unfold.

New Zealanders living in London should listen to the advice of the Metropolitan Police and follow any other guidance that they issue through local media. New Zealanders are advised to stay away from central London in the meantime.

All New Zealand High Commission staff and NZ government agency staff here at NZ House have been accounted for.

ENDS

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