Thames fall survivor
Woman seen floating in river after bridge plunge named as Romanian architect taking holiday in capital to help fiancé celebrate birthday
THE woman who fell into the Thames during the Westminster attacks has been named as Andreea Cristea, a 29-year-old architect from Romania.
Witnesses said they had seen a woman floating face-down in the Thames next to the bridge. She has been identified by RomaniaTV as Ms Cristea, who was on holiday with her fiancé to celebrate his birthday.
It is not known whether she was thrown in by the impact of the crash or jumped into the water to escape.
Police rescued Ms Cristea from the river and she is now in a serious condition in hospital. Her partner, Andrei Burnaz, an engineer, was treated in hospital for a fractured foot.
The couple had been walking across the bridge when the terrorist ploughed a 4x4 car through pedestrians.
Paul Ciocoiu, a spokesman for Romania’s ministry of foreign affairs, said he believed Ms Cristea had been “hit by a car and then thrown into the Thames”.
The pair were on their way to meet a friend, Patrick Tracey, from Derbyshire, who said: “They never made it. I phoned and could hear shouts in the background and knew instantly something was wrong. I’m in shock.”
A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, said: “A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. “We believe she fell from the bridge.” Ms Cristea and her fiancé had reportedly just visited Westminster Abbey and the London Eye before they were injured in the attack.
Steve Voake, 55, was walking across Westminster Bridge when he saw the aftermath. He said that he had seen a person in the water, as well as at least two bodies lying on the road.
“I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,” he said. “And when I looked over the side there was another body lying in the water with blood all around it.”