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The blast occurred right before 11 a.m. local time as a taxi pulled up outside an entrance of Liverpool Women’s Hospital, according to a Merseyside Police statement. Witnesses said the vehicle was quickly engulfed in flames. One unidentified passenger was declared dead at the scene. The driver was able to escape and was hospitalized in stable condition.
Liverpool mayor Joanne Anderson told BBC Radio 4′s Today that “the taxi driver, in his heroic efforts, has managed to divert what could have been an absolutely awful disaster at the hospital."
Police and firefighters arrived shortly after 11 a.m. and extinguished the burning taxi.
Carl Bessant, who was inside the hospital at the time of the blast with his wife, who had just given birth, said his partner was shaken up by the incident, which occurred as she was feeding their new baby.
“We were so close. ... We heard a loud bang and looked out of the window,” he told state broadcaster BBC. “We saw the car on fire and someone jump out ... screaming, and there was someone inside the car.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter that his "thoughts are with those affected by the awful incident,” and thanked emergency services for their swift response.
Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West said they were working with local and regional police and continuing to “keep an open mind about the cause of the explosion,” the BBC reported.
“We would urge the public to remain calm but vigilant,” Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of the Merseyside Police said at a news conference.
Liverpool Women’s Hospital said it would restrict visiting hours until further notice.
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