One woman has died and other people are being treated for "catastrophic" injuries after an attack near parliament on Wednesday, British news agency Press Association reported, citing a junior doctor at a central London hospital.
British police shot a suspected attacker outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Wednesday after an officer was stabbed in what was described as a "terrorist" incident.
According to witness reports, a car also ploughed into several bystanders on the nearby Westminster Bridge before crashing into railings outside parliament. The building in the heart of the British capital was immediately sealed off and MPs and staff ordered to remain inside.
A parliamentary official earlier said two people had been shot outside parliament and the building was in lockdown. The House of Commons session was suspended and members of parliament who were in the chamber were told to remain there.
"We are treating this as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise," police said in a statement. The incident comes with Europe on high alert after a series of deadly jihadist attacks.
Security sources said Prime Minister Theresa May was "okay" but declined to say where she had been during the attack. She had earlier been in parliament during her weekly showpiece question and answer session. She was seen getting into the back of a car and being driven off.
Police said they had been called to an incident at Westminster Bridge, officers were on the scene and it was being treated as a firearms incident. Nearby Westminster underground train station was closed at the request of police.
Scotland's parliament suspended a crucial debate on Wednesday on whether or not to hold a new independence referendum as Britain prepares to leave the EU, following a suspected terror attack in London.
