Karl Williams rushed out of bed and was late for his dance class in Central London.
It was July 7, 2005, and he had partied the night before to celebrate that London had received the 2012 Olympics. He felt that the city was an exciting place.
However, later that morning, his world changed forever when he was implicated in the 7/7 terrorist attacks and was just meters from where a bomb exploded in his underground car.
Startled, Karl thought he was going to die. Until a voice came out of the rubble and a woman asked if she could hold his hand and told him everything would be fine.
Karl, 39, credits her with saving his life – that’s why he enlisted the help of Anita Rani and her new show Saved by a Stranger to find her.
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Karl was a passenger in the first car on the London Underground on the Piccadilly Line – one of the four targets of the July 7 bombings
(Image: BBC / Blink Films / Toby Trackman)
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
He says, “I usually took the tube straight to Covent Garden, where I trained to be a dancer, but on July 7th I got up late and had to change at Kings Cross.
“It was hot and the platform was very busy. I remember thinking something didn’t feel right, but I was being pushed down on the tube from behind. A few seconds later there was a massive bang.
“The clearest picture I have of this moment is silver rain everywhere, from the glass that shatters in the windows and doors.
“It felt like we were going to idle forever before the train stopped. Then there was silence everywhere. “
Ambulance video footage showed the scene on board the train between King’s Cross and Russell Square underground stations in London after a bomb explosion during the July 7, 2005 attacks
(Image: PA)
He adds, “It was pitch black and you could taste the smoke. It was very angry.
“I initially thought that part of the tube had collapsed and I remember thinking we were going to be buried alive.
“I’m not religious, but I really wanted out – so I prayed and said I wouldn’t be gay anymore. I just wanted to be with my mom.
“The rubble was up to my knees and I started bubbling like a kid.”
Karl looked for the mysterious woman who comforted him in the dark, smoke-filled carriage
(Image: BBC / Blink Films)
But then something amazing happened.
Karl explains, “This woman reached over and said, can you hold my hand? It felt strange at first, but then I surrendered to it. And I said, “We’re going to die here, aren’t we?” And she was so calm and collected and said, “No, we’re going out.”
“I really kind of think she saved me. Not sure if I would be who I am now without having to hold my hand in the worst of times. It showed me that strangers can be really supportive. “
After a lifetime, the driver opened his door and told people to carefully walk down the tracks to safety.
Karl’s journey was emotional
(Image: BBC / Blink Films)
But in his desperation to escape the situation, Karl did something that haunts him to this day.
He explains: “The thing I have most with me is that I pushed myself in front of the woman to get out. I wanted to apologize because I felt so horrible that if someone was so helpful, I would do this. “
Karl had previously tried to find the lady who had helped him with the ordeal, but he got no further.
However, after using documents from coroners, he and Anita were able to piece together who was nearby in the tube and who might have been his savior.
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A woman named Susan had a remarkably similar story to Karl – so they agreed to meet.
Karl says, “It didn’t look the way I had imagined it in my head, but our stories matched in many ways.
“The hard thing is that we’ll never know if it was Susan holding my hand or not – but now it doesn’t really matter.
“After talking to Susan, my survivor’s guilt rose because I knew I had helped them by holding someone’s hand, too.
“Me and Susan are still in contact. This was the beginning of my survivor’s journey.
“Most people have been in contact with other survivors for 15 years and I missed this because I didn’t feel like a part of it, because I wasn’t hurt and I hadn’t lost a loved one.”
He adds, “What really got through is these small acts of kindness and how important they are.”
“Without your help, life would have been very different.”
Dr. Natasha Savic with Edina
(Image: BBC / Blink Films / Toby Trackman)
Emina Hadziosmanovic was only four years old when she and her family fled war-torn Bosnia on April 18, 1992 to start a new life in England.
They have thrived in Birmingham ever since.
However, this would not have been possible without Dr. Natasha Savic, who put her on a medical evacue list when Emina’s little sister Edina – who has Down syndrome – turned nauseated.
Emina, 33, says: “Without your help, life would have been very different for the whole family.”
Dr. Natasha Savic with Edina, Emina and the family
(Image: BBC / Blink Films / Toby Trackman)
Emina vividly remembers the bus trip outside the country.
She says: “The bus stopped and started because the Serbs came and checked the papers. You also took people’s jewelry and if you refused, your finger with the ring attached would be cut off. “
And Emina almost died when she crossed a bombed bridge, causing hundreds of people to fall into the water.
She says, “My legs tremble when I think about it.”
Despite their best efforts, the family struggled to get on with Dr. Contacting Savic to thank her.
However, Anita and the team were able to track her down in Holland and in 2019 she visited Emina in the UK.
Emina says: “She was exactly as I remembered her and seeing her meant the absolute world for my family.
“We kept in touch and hope to visit her in the future.”
Saved by a Stranger starts tomorrow – Thursday – at 9 p.m. on BBC Two.
