UK commemorates July 7 victims Friday July 7, 2006

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Survivors and relatives of those who lost their lives in the July 7 London bombings returned to the blast sites to mark the first anniversary of the suicide attacks.

As the nation prepared to come to a standstill for a two-minute silence to remember the 52 innocent victims, tens of thousands of commuters in the capital paused to reflect on the atrocity.

At 8.50am, exactly one year to the minute since three of the four suicide bombers exploded their rucksack devices simultaneously on Tube trains across the capital, the official memorial programme got under way.
At King's Cross, from where the four bombers fanned out that morning, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, London mayor Ken Livingstone, Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy and London Underground managing director Tim O'Toole laid memorial wreaths. They then stood in silence, heads bowed.

At the same time, a bell tolled at St Paul's Cathedral and candles representing the first three blast sites - Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square - were lit.

Nader Mozakka, 50, from North Finchley, north-west London, who lost his wife Behnaz, 47, at King's Cross, was one of those who lay a floral tribute. "I said goodbye to my wife at 7am a year ago and never saw her again," he said. "It was tortuous for me to sit in a train today and it was tortuous for me to come here to King's Cross."

Just under one hour later, the commemorative events moved on to Tavistock Square, where 13 innocent people lost their lives in the bus explosion.

Mr Livingstone and Mr Hendy were joined by George Psaradakis, 50, the Greek-born driver of the number 30 bus that was ripped apart in the blast. At exactly 9.47am, Mr Psaradakis laid a memorial wreath in tribute to the victims, reading: "You will never be forgotten. May you rest in peace."

At Edgware Road, where six innocent people died, the station manager organised a floral tribute for the bereaved families of irises and carnations, while at Aldgate, where seven people died, commuters added their flowers to another floral tribute there.

At Russell Square the station fell silent as transport staff, police officers and passengers remembered the 26 people who lost their lives on the Piccadilly Line train last year. Relatives and survivors who gathered outside the station tearfully hugged one another as they laid floral tributes to their loved ones.