Government sends out 7/7 letters

London: Survivors of the 7 July bombings have finally received an official letter of sympathy from the Government, almost nine months after the attacks.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell expressed her "heartfelt sympathy" and said she would meet survivors in May after they accused authorities of abandoning them.

Until now there has been no official contact from Westminster.

There is also widespread anger at failures in the aftercare for survivors, with many still on NHS waiting lists for specialist trauma counselling and MRI scans. Jowell acknowledged that thousands of people had been affected by the bombings. She said: "The events on that day led to the loss of 52 innocent lives and resulted in physical injury for hundreds of people. A greater number again witnessed or were directly involved in the incidents and bear less visible scars from that day."

The letter was dated 22 March but was received by survivors only after the first public hearing at City Hall last week.

At the inquiry, the husband of the last passenger rescued alive at King's Cross said he felt "ashamed" of the "shabby" reaction.

The man, named only as Joe, said: "It was puzzling, bewildering and I think shabby that nobody attempted to contact us. We received not a phone call, not a card, not a visit, no contact whatsoever from anybody in government."

Meetings

Jowell has now arranged meetings in May for known survivors from all four bomb sites, Edgware Road, Aldgate, King's Cross and Tavistock Square.

Rachel North, who was in the bomb carriage at King's Cross and has set up her own support network for survivors, said: "More could have been done earlier but the letter from Tessa Jowell is a very positive development. The meeting will be a chance to air our views. We have never been asked what help we needed."

She also continued calls for an official public inquiry and has started a petition which so far has 533 signatures.

She said: "Only by getting the facts out in the open can the lessons be learned."

The City Hall 7/7 review last week revealed shocking failures in the aftercare provided for victims.