Desperate Londoners hunted on Friday for relatives missing since suspected al Qaeda bombers killed more than 50 people in rush-hour blasts, while rescue workers struggled to retrieve bodies trapped deep underground.
Fears of more attacks and false alarms kept commuters and financial markets jittery, and authorities worldwide went on alert following threats from Islamic militants to strike other countries which, like Britain, have troops in Iraq.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism expert said European-born militants recruited by al Qaeda chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi could be behind the bombings and a European Union official said no one was immune from the threat of attack.
A day after four bombs tore through three underground trains and a double-decker bus, London slowly got back to work. Some took the day off, but others ventured back onto the capital's creaking transport network, some fearful, many defiant.
Police said 49 people were confirmed dead, but emergency staff were still retrieving bodies trapped far underground in one of the subway system's deepest tunnels, where the city's police chief said the scene was one of "extraordinary horror."
Distraught relatives searched for missing loved-ones around hospitals, many handing out leaflets appealing for information.
"It is killing us," said Kim Beer, searching for her hair stylist son Phil, 22. "He always kisses me and cuddles me and tells me he loves me every time he goes out of the door -- which is what he did yesterday and I haven't seen or heard from him since."
BRITAIN DEFIANT
Queen Elizabeth, visiting the wounded in hospital, reflected the mood of many Britons by saying: "Those who perpetrate these brutal acts against innocent people ... will not change our way of life."
Psychologists said decades of bombings by Irish republicans could help Londoners deal with the trauma. Others highlighted the capital's resilience during World War II.
"If London can survive the Blitz, it can survive four miserable events like this," said police chief Ian Blair.
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