Runaway horses in London leave 4 people injured, vehicles damaged
Two horses on the loose bolt through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
LONDON - Military horses doing routine exercises on Wednesday bolted and ran through central London during the morning rush hour, leaving four people injured and damaging vehicles.
Emergency officials were called at 8:25 a.m. local time to reports of a person being thrown from a horse in Buckingham Palace Road, and the first paramedic was on the scene within five minutes, according to a spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service.
Pictures of two of the horses, one white and the other black, circulated widely across social media. One of the horses had its front covered by what appeared to be blood or red paint.
A white horse on the loose bolts through the streets of London near Aldwych. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt/PA Images via Getty Images)
The two horses were later contained in Limehouse, around 4 miles east of central London, City of London police said.
It wasn't immediately clear what happened, but it appeared that seven horses bolted from their barracks in central London and ran wild.
All the animals were contained shortly after.
"A number of military working horses became loose during routine exercise this morning," an Army spokesperson said.
"All of the horses have now been recovered and returned to camp. A number of personnel and horses have been injured and are receiving the appropriate medical attention," the spokesperson added.
British media reported that a taxi driver waiting near Buckingham Palace had his car window smashed by a spooked horse, while another horse crashed into a parked double-decker tour bus and damaged its windshield.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.