The dead and the injured came from all around the world
Relatives tell of their anguish for loved ones caught in brutal attack at the heart of tourist London
Laura Donnelly
Harriet Alexander
A “BEAUTIFUL and loving” bride-tobe who had moved from Canada to Europe to be with her fiance was last night identified as the first victim of the attack.
Chrissy Archibald, from Castlegar in British Colombia, was among the seven dead. Her family described her as a woman who “believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected”.
She had worked at a homeless shelter before deciding to move to Europe to be with her fiancé. Her relatives urged members of the public to volunteer their time or donate to a shelter, saying: “Tell them Chrissy sent you.”
Last night, the number of dead stood at seven, with 21 patients in a critical condition. The victims hail from all over the world.
A French man is also among those killed. He was a 27-year-old from Saintmalo in Brittany who was working in the Boro Bistro near the site of the attack, French media reported. He is said to have died after being stabbed in the neck by one of the terrorists.
The injured include individuals from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and Spain as well as Britain.
An off-duty policeman, who plays rugby, is in a critical condition after he tackled one of the terrorists and sustained knife injuries. A British Transport Police officer who joined the force just two years ago was left seriously injured, though stable, after taking on a knifeman, armed only with his baton.
The mother of a 23-year-old British man who was stabbed told yesterday how one of the terrorists shouted: “This is for my family! This is for Islam!” as he plunged a knife into him.
Daniel O’neill was outside a bar near Borough Market when he was attacked by a man brandishing a knife, his mother Elizabeth said. Her son remains in hospital, after being left with a seven-inch scar and fears of kidney damage.
Mr O’neill had just stepped out of a bar and into the street, when the terrorist attacked, his mother said. “A man ran up to him and said: ‘This is for my family, this is for Islam!’ and stuck a knife straight in,” she said. “He’s got a seveninch scar going from his belly round to his back.”
After heading back inside, shots were fired, with everyone told to lie down and then to go downstairs.
Daniel was saved by the efforts of a friend, who put a tourniquet on him, and by police, who took him at speed to hospital, she said.
He remains poorly and kidney damage has not been ruled out, said Mrs O’neill. “He still doesn’t believe what has happened, he’s in shock,” his mother added, describing the attacks as “absolutely senseless”.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister, Theresa May, paid a private visit to King’s College Hospital in south London, which has been caring for 14 patients. She met some of the victims and the staff treating them.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express business editor, Geoff Ho, was yesterday in intensive care, and unable to speak, after being stabbed in the throat when he tried to help a wounded bouncer ouitside a bar. Mr Ho was filmed being led away from the scene by a policeman, clutching his neck, but still able to walk.
The martial arts enthusiast went on to post on Facebook that he didn’t know if he had been “stupid or noble” to try and break up what he thought was a fight outside the Southwark
‘She can’t talk. She’s been stabbed around her neck; her throat. She’s all bandaged up’
Tavern. “Two a---s trying to do over the lone bouncer on the door isn’t happening on my watch,” he wrote. Brett Freeman, a father of three from Dagenham, east London, is recovering after being stabbed four times in the attack.
Oliver Dowling, from Christchurch, New Zealand, and his girlfriend Marie Bondeville, who were eating at Lobos Meat and Tapas restaurant in Borough High Street, were also among the injured. Mr Dowling, 32, is said to have had four hours of surgery for his injuries and was yesterday in an induced coma, but stable. Ms Bondeville, meanwhile, was thought to be undergoing surgery yesterday.
Candice Hedge, 31 from Brisbane, Australia, was yesterday recovering, although she was unable to speak after being stabbed in the throat with a 12-inch knife. Ms Hedge, 31, had finished a shift as a waitress at Elliot’s restaurant and was having a drink at the bar when her attacker came up behind her, grabbed her head and slashed her neck. Yesterday, she was recovering from emergency surgery but her family said that she is expected to recover.