The first two victims of the London bombings were formally identified today as the death toll was raised to 52. Susan Levy (53) a mother-of-two from Hertfordshire, north of London, was named by police while University College London (UCL) said its employee Gladys Wundowa had also been killed.
Ms Levy was on the Piccadilly line train that was hit between Russell Square and Kings Cross last Thursday. She had travelled to central London with her son James (23) but they parted at Finsbury Park.
Ms Wundowa, a cleaner at UCL, was killed in the bus explosion at Tavistock Square. Scotland Yard said an inquest into MS Levy's death was opened and adjourned at St Pancras Coroners Court. At least 52 people died and 700 were injured in the four bombings which happened at rush hour on Thursday morning.
Millions of Londoners returned to work today as the police investigation into the attacks continued. But a British government minister warned not to expect quick breakthroughs in the investigation.
Police have yet to make any arrests linked to the attacks on three underground trains and a double-decker bus, raising fears that the bombers may strike again.
Officers said they had arrested three people under terrorism laws at London's Heathrow airport yesterday but had no cause so far to link them to the bombing. The three men, arrested on arrival in Britain, were later released without charge.
Hazel Blears, a minister in Britain's Home Office which is responsible for security, said police had been heartened by a strong public response to requests for information and digital images taken on mobile phones or cameras.
"Clearly they are making progress but they will have to follow up every single lead and these kind of inquiries are incredibly complex," she told BBC radio.
"It's painstaking work, it's sifting through, it's fingertip searches, all of that, following up all the intelligence they've got. So we don't expect any immediate breakthroughs in these terms but they are doing everything they can," she said.
Meanwhile, Britain's FTSE 100 index hit a 3-year high at its opening today. The country will come to a halt next Thursday for two minutes in remembrance of those killed in the attacks. British Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said the silence would be observed across Europe.
- Fears have risen for the safety of two people with Irish connections missing following the attacks. Ciarán Cassidy (22), who lives with his Irish parents in the Finsbury Park area of the city, had reportedly taken the tube to work that morning but never arrived. A New Zealand woman, who was thought to be travelling on an Irish passport, was also reported missing and has yet to be found.
Agencies