The amazing testimony of a woman from Crouch End who lost her leg in the July 7, 2005, bombing on London's transport network emerged this week, when the London Assembly report into the tragedy was published.

The nurse, identified only as Carol, revealed with startling honesty how her daily journey from Crouch End turned to darkness. "I got on the Tube at Turnpike Lane, and I remember it being an extremely busy day, extremely busy one of the busiest I have ever seen, actually. We were all sort of shoving on the train nothing untoward, just standing up until we got to King's Cross," she told the London Assembly July 7 Review Committee.

"I remember thinking of getting off at King's Cross because it was so busy, but I stayed on. We went into the tunnel. I don't remember how long it was, but the bomb went off, and I knew it was a bomb straight away. I instantly knew it was a bomb. It wasn't the noise no noise at all just force, sheer force. I must have lost consciousness for a little while; I'm not sure, but I think it was only a matter of a minute, or maybe two.

"The next thing I remember was being on the floor and thinking, okay; I had come round a bit. I looked up and down initially for fire; I wasn't sure if there was going to be fire. Then, I tried to get up and I realised I had lost my leg; I was stuck under debris. I realised I couldn't get up, realised I had lost my leg, and at that point I put a tourniquet on my leg with my cardigan belt because I knew I was losing lots of blood."

The nurse, who worked at University College London Hospital (UCLH), continued: "There was a lot of screaming going on, I remember telling everyone to calm down and be quiet, that help would come I didn't have any doubt about that at all. I wasn't scared, for me it wasn't traumatic at all.

"That was very strange; a very bizarre thing. There wasn't any pain; nothing at all really. There was a girl who was trapped underneath me and we had a conversation. I couldn't get off her; I was trying to, but I couldn't get off her.

"We held hands and comforted each other. I found out later, after I was pulled out, that she died.

"The next thing I knew the doctor came on board, and prioritised me straight away. I could feel myself going, and I must have fallen forward because he said, 'Carol, are you with us?' and I sort of grunted at him I remember grunting and thinking, 'That doesn't sound very good'. It was quite funny actually, looking at it my leg, thinking, 'What is that?' and then realising that it has a bit of yellow and a bit of white on it where it's plastic from the workings around the Tube. It was quite amusing."

It took 'seven or eight' police officers to carry her down the tunnel to Russell Square Tube station where she was put on the first ambulance that arrived and taken to UCLH.

After two weeks in intensive care, where she drifted in and out of consciousness, she woke up. She has since received compensation for losing a leg and may receive more for her other injuries.

She told the committee: "They have given me that initial payment for my leg, anyway, which is, again, a lot of money, so I am very financially secure, to be honest I'm very lucky indeed.

"I am alive and the girl who was underneath me died. If they had taken her out first she might be the one sitting here talking to you, so I am very, very grateful."