London terror attack: Full details emerge of woman who fell off Westminster Bridge into Thames
A woman who plunged into the Thames during Wednesday’s terror attack did not jump from Westminster Bridge to escape the attacker’s car, but was instead hurled into the water by the force of the vehicle, a senior diplomat has said.
Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old Romanian architect, was spotted in the river soon after the attack. In the confusion that followed, there was speculation that Ms Cristea had leaped from the bridge to escape the violence.
But Romanian ambassador Dan Mihalache said Ms Cristea had been “practically thrown” into the river by the car.
He added that the 29-year-old had been on holiday in London with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, to celebrate his birthday at the time. He said Mr Burnaz, an engineer, had planned to propose to her that same day.
On Friday afternoon, Ms Cristea had not regained consciousness, but was in a stable condition following an operation for a blood clot on her brain.
Mr Burnaz was treated in hospital for a fractured foot.
Dramatic CCTV footage of the architect falling from the bridge has been widely circulated online.
Mr Mihalache told the BBC: “It’s a miracle she survived. She was practically thrown into the Thames.
“They were tourists, they had come to celebrate [a] birthday. He intended to ask her for marriage [sic] in the same day [as the attack], and this was unfortunately the destiny.”
Soon after the attack was over, port officials said that they had pulled a woman from the water, injured but alive and that she was treated for serious injuries.
“A female member of the public was pulled from the water near Westminster Bridge, alive, with serious injuries,” a Port of London Authority spokesman told Reuters in the aftermath of the attack. “She’s undergoing very urgent medical treatment now.”
The river was closed to all non-emergency traffic for much of the time after the attack.
A London bus driver who described the panic after the attack said that he was aware someone was in the water soon after a car was driven down Westminster Bridge. “Once I got everyone off the bus I heard someone shouting that his wife had jumped into the river to avoid getting knocked over,” Michael Adamou told The Independent.
Four people were killed, in addition to attacker Khalid Masood, and at least 50 people injured on Wednesday in the attack outside the Houses of Parliament.
Two people remain in hospital in a critical condition, while one person has life threatening injuries. Two police officers sustained serious injuries, Scotland Yard said.
Nine people remain in police custody in connection with the attack and one woman has been released on bail. Police said on Friday they had concluded 16 searches, and five searches were ongoing.
