Five horses from the Household Cavalry escaped in central London after knocking over their military riders during an exercise, including one soaked in blood.
At least one soldier was injured after the spooked horses crashed into cars outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
Commuters said they heard a soldier screaming in pain after seeing him fall from his horse after it crashed into a car.
The horses were spooked during their daily morning exercise on Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, at around 8.40am.
One of the horses also allegedly crashed into a double-decker bus, shattering its windshield, while another crashed into a black taxi.
Emergency services rushed to the aid of the injured soldier, who was seen being treated on the road.
Five blood-soaked Household Cavalry horses went on a rampage through central London after throwing their military riders during an exercise.
At least one soldier has been injured after a spooked horse crashed into cars outside the Clermont Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria.
One of the horses also reportedly crashed into a double-decker bus, shattering its windshield.
Bashir Aden, 48, a construction worker, told the Telegraph: “I saw a soldier fall in the street after his horse hit a car. One of my colleagues called the police.
“The man hit the ground hard, he screamed in pain. Blood could be seen everywhere in the parked car.
A silver Mercedes-Benz minivan was also hit by another horse, with side damage and two rear windows broken.
Buckingham Palace Road was closed after the shocking incident and a cordon was put in place.
A blue tarpaulin tent was erected around the wounded soldier.
The horses ran through the streets of Victoria and went as far east as Aldwych before being calmed and confined by police on the highway near Limehouse.
The agents are now waiting for army vans to take the animals away.
A woman who saw the horse crash into the Mercedes told LBC: “OOne of the horses hit the Mercedes van and the rider was on it, fell on this little bit of road and the other woman lost control of her horse and she managed to grab the gate.
“The horses were visibly injured due to the glasses they had broken. (The wounded soldier) was lying there on the ground. He looked like he had hurt himself badly. It was terrible.’
Buckingham Palace Road was closed after the shocking incident and a cordon was put in place
Two of the horses were seen galloping through the streets of London covered in blood
Londoners were seen avoiding one of the horses as it ran on the pavement. A horse allegedly hit a black taxi
It is not clear who covered the horses in blood
Passersby were shocked to see the incident unfold
The horses ran at a certain pace after being frightened during the exercise.
Members of the public were seen comforting one of the horses after it got loose.
The Met Police said: “We are aware of a number of horses currently on the loose in central London and are working with colleagues, including the Army, to locate them.”
City of London Police said: “At around 8.40am we were called to reports of horses which had gotten loose and were running through the city.
“Our officers confined two horses on the highway near Limehouse. We are waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to the veterinarian.
London Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 8.25am today to reports of a person being thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W.
“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a rapid response car and an incident response officer.
“Our first paramedic arrived on scene five minutes later.
“The incident is still ongoing and we are working with our emergency services partners.”
This is breaking news. More soon.
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