LONDON– Several military horses escaped during routine exercises on Wednesday and ran loose through central London, injuring four people and damaging vehicles during the morning rush hour.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said they were called at 8.25am to reports that a person had been thrown from a horse on Buckingham Palace Road, and that the first paramedic arrived at the scene within five minutes.
Photographs and videos of two of the animals, one white and one black, were widely circulated on social media. One of the horses had its front covered in what appeared to be blood or red paint.
The two horses were later contained in Limehouse, about 6 kilometers (4 miles) east of central London, City of London police said.
It was not immediately clear what happened, but it appeared that seven horses ran out of their barracks in central London and went crazy. All animals were contained shortly after.
“Several military workhorses became loose during a routine exercise this morning,” an Army spokesman said.
“All the horses have already been recovered and returned to the camp. “Several employees and horses were injured and are receiving appropriate medical attention,” the spokesperson added.
British media reported that a taxi driver waiting near Buckingham Palace had his car window smashed by a frightened horse, while another horse crashed into a parked double-decker tour bus and damaged its windshield.