British MPs told to flee if parliament comes under attack

LONDON - British MPs have been told to flee for their lives in the event of a Mumbai-style terrorist attack on parliament, a media report said Tuesday.

An emergency plan drawn up by police and circulated in an email to all to MPs, peers, researchers, secretaries and other employees, says that authorities anticipate that a Mumbai-style assault on the Parliament could result in heavy casualties.

The parliament staff have been advised to head for the nearest exit, only stopping to help injured colleagues if it is safe for them to do so, the Daily Telegraph reported.

It advises workers not to attempt to stay in their offices unless they have no choice, adding that many lives could have been saved in Mumbai if victims had been able to flee.

At least 175 people were killed and hundreds injured in the 2008 attack in India’s commercial hub, when Pakistani terrorists launched a series of coordinated attacks on hotels and other public places.

The email reminds staff that the events in Mumbai lasted for three days.

Staff will be alerted to an attack with an announcement urging them to run from the building as fast as they can.

The injured will be abandoned, with workers told to continue to make their way out unless they are certain they can provide assistance and will not themselves be hurt in the process.

The email, however, assures recipients that there has been no specific warning that an attack is imminent, but adds that parliament is assumed to be a terrorist target along with other iconic institutions.

The parliament’s iconic paintings and emblems - including the House of Commons mace - will be left behind, after authorities concluded that their main duty was to protect human life.