'Even if the students aren't worried, their parents will be'

Indian student Amartya Sinha says he was "petrified" when he heard about the bomb attacks, some of which occurred a short walk from his accommodation at International Students' House.

He said: "A lot of my friends had already gone to work, and I was desperately trying to get hold of them. My next thought was, 'What's next?', and 'Is it safe to walk the streets?'"

Mr Sinha, who is completing his University of London law exams after three years in the capital, believes that most international students will now think twice about coming to the UK.

He said: "Living here, you know what happened. But the way it is portrayed in the media makes it seem on the scale of another 9/11. If the students aren't worried, their parents will be."

Royal College of Music research associate Takashi Kirkuchi feels lucky that he had no appointments to go to last Thursday.

Since he is blind, he says he is grateful that his friends kept him informed as the day's grisly events unfolded.

He also followed the breaking news on the radio, but he says things were more confusing for his family in Tokyo.

"Some people thought that Liverpool had been attacked, because Liverpool Street Station was mentioned," he said.

The confusion could fuel fears abroad that the UK is no longer a safe study destination, he added.

"After the 9/11 attacks, even though they were in the US, people in Japan were afraid to come to London.

"I think they will be even more afraid now," he said.