Police boat crashes into Westminster Bridge, five officers injured
A police boat crashed into Westminster Bridge on the River Thames, injuring five police officers.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Five police officers were injured after a police boat crashed into Westminster Bridge on the River Thames in London. Three officers were thrown from the boat into the water. The cause of the collision is not yet known.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing two boats travelling at speed just before the crash. One witness said: "the next thing we saw was three people in the water coming down the river and then the other cruise boats the big cruise boats Stopped in their way because they were trying to dock And of course any boat on the water if someone's in trouble, you have to go save them."
All five officers were treated for injuries. After a few minutes, they were pulled to safety. The police boat was towed back up the river and the police cordon was lifted. Westminster Bridge has now reopened.
Four of the five injured officers remain in hospital. The Metropolitan Police said none of them have sustained life-threatening injuries and that no members of the public were involved. The force thanked other river users for coming to their aid. The Home Secretary praised the ambulance crews and the fire and rescue service for their swift response. An investigation into what happened is now underway.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| A police boat crashed into Westminster Bridge, injuring five officers; three were thrown into the water, and four remain in hospital. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focused on the immediate incident details, including the number of officers injured, the rescue operation, and eyewitness accounts. It maintained a factual, neutral tone and included official statements from the Metropolitan Police and the Home Secretary. No speculation on the cause was offered.
- “the next thing we saw was three people in the water coming down the river and then the other cruise boats the big cruise boats Stopped in their way because they were trying to dock And of course any boat on the water if someone's in trouble, you have to go save them”
- “Four of the five injured officers are still in hospital but the Metropolitan Police said it thankfully none of them have sustained life-threatening Injuries and that no members of the public were involved”
- “The police have thanked other river users for coming to their aid and home secretary has praised the ambulance crews And the fire and rescue service for this swift response”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.