Nurse killed as she ran to treat injured victims
NURSE Kirsty Boden was killed after she ran towards the danger to help those injured on London Bridge.
The Australian, 28, was praised for her selfless heroism after she was the fourth victim to be named yesterday.
British business owner James McMullan, 32, Canadian brideto-be Christine Archibald, 30, and French waiter Alexandre Pigeard, 27, have also been confirmed dead.
Meanwhile a French tourist missing since the attack may have been knocked into the Thames by the terrorists’ van, police believe.
Miss Boden, who was living in London after moving from Loxton in south Australia, had a travel blog in which she had written poignantly: ‘Life is short and we should all use the time we have wisely.’
Her family paid tribute to her courage and compassion.
They said: ‘Kirsty was loved and adored by her family, friends and boyfriend.
‘She was the most outgoing, kind and generous person. Helping people was what she loved to do in her job as a nurse and in her daily life.
‘As she ran towards danger, in an effort to help people on the bridge, Kirsty sadly lost her life. We are so proud of Kirsty’s brave actions which demonstrate how selfless, caring and heroic she was. Kirsty, we love you and we will miss you dearly.’
Miss Boden worked as a theatre nurse at Guy’s Hospital in central London, where many of the victims of the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack in March were treated.
The NHS trust’s chief nurse, Dame Eileen Sills, said she was an ‘outstanding’ nurse.
Professor Jane Cummings, chief nursing officer for England, said: ‘The people responsible for this heinous act showed a callous and indiscriminate disregard for human life. In contrast, Kirsty truly epitomised the values of nursing, of public service and the compassion we associate with the NHS.’
In her blog, The Time-Poor Traveller, Miss Boden described herself as ‘your average dreamer, with a constant longing to go where I haven’t been’.
The missing French tourist, Xavier Thomas, 45, had been crossing London Bridge with his girlfriend Christine Delcros on Saturday night during a weekend visit to the capital. While Miss Delcros was seriously injured in the atrocity, the fate of her partner remains unknown.
Scotland Yard said: ‘Witness accounts suggest it is possible that Xavier was struck by the van that resulted in him being thrown into the Thames.’ The river is now being trawled by specialist officers from the Marine Policing Unit and Royal National Lifeboat Institution, it added. Family and friends of the couple have also launched an online appeal for information.