Two young men were taken to an east London hospital Tuesday after a “suspected noxious substance” was thrown at them, Metropolitan Police said.
The two men, believed to be in their teens, flagged officers on the street in Tower Hamlets around 7 p.m., police said.
Police, ambulance and fire services responded to the scene to investigate the suspected acid attack.
“Police in Tower Hamlets are dealing with a suspected noxious substance attack on two males in Roman Road,” the statement said.
Their injuries are not life-threatening and no arrests have been made, the statement added.
The incident comes as London grapples with a spike in acid attacks. In 2014, there were 166 incidents reported, followed by 261 in 2015 and 454 in 2016, according to a Metropolitan Police Service report released in March. Police have told CNN that trend has continued this year.
A recent incident in which five men were attacked over 70 minutes has prompted the British government to consider tougher sentences for perpetrators of acid attacks.
