Photo: Robin Bell

The gangway to HMS Belfast, collapsed into the Thames River in London shortly after noon today.  Two work men are reported to have been taken to the hospital with what are described as abrasions.  More than 100 people on board the ship, including 30 school children, were evacuated in small boats.  HMS Belfast is an ex-Royal Navy light cruiser which saw action in both the Second World War and the Korean War and is permanently docked on the Thames as part of the Imperial War Museum.  Not surprisingly, a spokesman said that the ship will be closed until further notice.

Terror on the Thames as gangway leading to HMS Belfast collapses

Earlier this month we posted about a virtual problem with the ship, when graphic artists for the London 2012 Olympics Committee airbrushed HMS Belfast out of a promotional poster showing the Thames River.