Van explodes in shopping centre’s underground car park near London station

A man has been taken to the hospital after an explosion rocked Wimbledon, south London.

The contents of a van exploded when the vehicle struck the roof of a car park near Wimbledon station at around 10am.

The blast, on the busy high street Queens Road, left the driver in his 60s with burns.

The cause of the blast is unclear, but the police confirmed to Metro that it is not thought to be terror-related.

The worker was injured when a propane gas tank in the back of a van exploded, an insider told Metro.

‘He was doing some work in the car park when there was a spark and a propane gas tank went up. He was injured. It was a huge bang,’ they said.

Around 100 people were evacuated from the Wimbledon Quarter shopping centre, the fire brigade told Metro.

Photographs shared on Reddit from the scene show a mangled grey van inside the car park. The back doors have been blown open, and debris, including scraps of a taillight and a candle lighter, can be seen.

No fire damage can be seen on the vehicle or the surrounding area.

Witness Paul Straffon, 47, described to Metro how a construction worker staggered past him with scorched overalls after a van ‘exploded’.

He said: ‘There was a bang, then a huge thud like someone dropping a giant dumbbell. The whole place shook. People ran for cover.

‘I saw a guy in overalls come from the car park, he looked in total shock. His high vis was scorched and there were also burn marks higher up.

‘People from the centre were trying to help him and he was taken off for medical treatment. It was a shock, people didn’t know how this happened, the whole place was evacuated.’

The centre remained closed until 2.20pm. A shopper said: ‘My car is still up there, I hope it’s in one piece.

‘It was like a bomb going off, then the fire marshals got everyone out.’

Wimbledon Underground station and railway services remain open.

Queens Road remains closed in both directions between Princes Road and A219 The Broadway.

Bus route 200, which serves Lamton Road in Hounslow and Mitcham Fair Green, was briefly diverted.

The police said: ‘At 10.10am on Monday (November 17), officers responded to reports of an explosion on Queens Road, Wimbledon.

‘Police, the London Ambulance Service, and the London Fire Brigade attended the scene and found that the contents of a van had exploded after the vehicle is believed to have struck the roof of a car park.’

Paramedics from the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) – who deal with environmental risks – were also dispatched, the London Ambulance Service told Metro.

The service added: ‘We treated a man at the scene for burns and took him to hospital as a priority.’

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