By DPA
London : A number of people suffered minor injuries when a London Underground (Tube) train derailed during the morning rush-hour Thursday, as up to 700 passengers were led out of the network's tunnel system, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Up to six carriages of a Central Line train came off the rails near Miles End station in east London after encountering what was described as an "obstruction" on the tracks.
A second train was stuck behind in the tunnel.
The authorities said it was not thought to be a terrorist incident.
But Chris Christofi, who was on the derailed train, said panic had broken out among the passengers who thought a bomb had exploded.
"We felt a massive jolt which made the train move up and down and sideways. There were some windows that seemed to blow in and explode and there was some soot that came into the carriage."
"There was a lot of people crying and upset, a lot of people falling over. We thought there'd been a bomb," he said.
The London Ambulance Service said paramedics were attending the scene, but there were no reports of further injuries.
Up to 14 fire appliances and rescue vehicles stood by.
TfL said it was looking into reports that there was an obstruction on the track.
Several stations on the line were closed.