Two military horses escaped from their handlers and ran away through central London on Wednesday morning, injuring four people as they ran loose through the city. One of the horses was soaked in a red substance that looked like blood, but there was no immediate word from authorities about what was on the white animal or how the pair escaped.
London’s Metropolitan Police and the British Army confirmed that the horses had been recovered shortly after they escaped from their keepers.
A spokesperson for London Ambulance Services told CBS News that four people were taken to area hospitals after being injured in three separate incidents involving horses.
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Medical staff arrived five minutes after the first incident, in which a person was thrown from a horse near Buckingham Palace, the spokesman said.
In a statement emailed to media, a British Army spokesperson said that “several military workhorses became loose during a routine exercise this morning.”
“All horses have been recovered and returned to camp. Several staff and horses were injured and are receiving appropriate medical care,” the statement read.
A taxi driver waiting outside a hotel near Buckingham Palace had his car windows smashed when one of the horses collided with the vehicle, according to the U.K.’s Press Association news agency.
Videos posted on social media showed the horses galloping at high speed through the city, leaving chaos in their wake. In one video, a black 4×4 vehicle with blue lights flashing can be seen following the animals.