Taxi Explodes Outside Liverpool Hospital, Killing One

A taxi exploded outside a hospital in Liverpool, England, on Sunday morning, killing one person and injuring another, the authorities said.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Counter Terrorism Policing North West, part of a national alliance of police forces, said it was leading the investigation with support from the Merseyside Police in Liverpool.

At about 11 a.m. local time, the police responded to reports that a taxi had pulled up outside the Women’s Hospital in Liverpool and exploded, the Merseyside Police said in a statement.

“Work is still ongoing to establish what has happened and could take some time before we’re in a position to confirm anything,” Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of the Merseyside Police told reporters on Sunday.

Ms. Kennedy said the authorities were “keeping an open mind” as they investigated.

Given the circumstances of how the explosion occurred, she added, Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing would lead the investigation. Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Twitter that she was receiving regular updates “on the awful incident at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.”

Information about the person who was killed in the explosion was not immediately available.

A second victim, a man, was hospitalized with injuries that the authorities said were not life-threatening. Phil Garrigan, the chief fire officer of the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, told reporters on Sunday that the man “had left the vehicle prior to the fire developing to the extent that it did.”

The fire from the explosion was extinguished quickly, Chief Garrigan said.

Access to the hospital, the authorities said, would be restricted “until further notice,” and some patients were diverted to other hospitals. Ambulances were still being allowed access to the hospital for emergencies, and staff members were being escorted into and out of the building by the authorities.

The mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, said in a statement that “the incident at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital is unsettling and upsetting and my thoughts are with those affected.”