A Romanian woman who fell into the Thames during the Westminster terror attack has died, police have said.
Andreea Cristea is the fifth victim of the attack on 22 March, in which Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge then stabbed a policeman to death, before being shot dead himself.
Ms Cristea, 31, who was on holiday with boyfriend Andrei Burnaz, had been in hospital since the attack.
Her family said in a statement that she had died on Thursday.
The statement said: “After fighting for her life for over two weeks, our beloved and irreplaceable Andreea – wonderful daughter, sister, partner, dedicated friend and the most unique and life loving person you can imagine – was cruelly and brutally ripped away from our lives in the most heartless and spiritless way.
“She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts.”
The family said they would now like money donated for Ms Cristea’s recovery to be given to charity.
“There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts,” they continued.
“Our family, together with Andrei, are deeply touched and eternally grateful for the unimaginable efforts and never-ending dedication provided to her and us by the entire medical personnel of each and every hospital involved. Their kindness and empathy are beyond compare.”
Mr Burnaz sustained a broken foot in the attack but has been discharged from hospital.
The couple were in London to celebrate Mr Burnaz’s birthday and he had been planning to propose to Ms Cristea that day, Romania’s UK ambassador Dan Mihalache told the BBC.
He said it was thought Masood’s car had mounted the pavement and hit Mr Burnaz, before pushing Ms Cristea into the Thames.
The other people killed on the bridge were Aysha Frade, 44, who worked at a London sixth-form college, US tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah, and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London.
Father-of-two PC Keith Palmer was fatally stabbed outside Parliament.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Be the first to comment