address system saying: "A power outage has occurred London-wide. All train services are suspended."
A station official said: "All the power has gone down. I don't know when it'll come back."
Police sealed off large areas around other underground and mainline rail stations. Firemen donned chemical protection suits before rushing into stations.
Half a dozen people with soot-blackened faces and disheveled clothes sat on the floor at Russell Square underground station or stood in shock as police cordoned off the area and ambulances crews raced in, one witness said.
The Great Eastern Hotel, which was hosting a conference on the Israeli economy, was evacuated. Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to attend the conference but had not arrived.