A bride-to-be, a journalist on a night out and two Australians staying in London.
These were among the first people identified as killed or wounded by three men rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge Saturday night, before they jumped out and embarked on a stabbing spree.
So far, seven people have been reported dead and 48 injured, in the attacks on a part of London that catered to everyone — a vibrant mix of cheap eats, high-end restaurants, food stalls and local pubs — a place that’s as likely to draw in tourists as it is local residents.
On a mild June night, diners and drinkers had spilled out onto the streets, soaking up one of London’s most atmospheric quarters.
Here’s what we know so far about the victims.
Killed
The first victim of the weekend’s attack to be identified was named as ‘beautiful, loving’ bride-to-be Chrissy Archibald, from Canada.
She was with her fiancé Tyler Ferguson on London Bridge when she was hit by the van, according to his brother.
They “tried everything but were unable to save her,” Mark Ferguson added in a Facebook post.
Local news reported that the 30-year-old died in her fiancé’s arms.
“I am heartbroken that a Canadian is among those killed,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. “Canadians stand united with the British people.”
In a statement, Chrissy’s immediate family said she had worked in a homeless shelter until she had moved to Europe to be with her husband-to-be.
“She would have no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death,” the Archibald family said, requesting that she be honored by people working to make their communities a better place.
No other victims have as yet been named, however French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told journalists Sunday that one French national, has also died.
Wounded
Journalist Geoff Ho was wounded in the neck.
Business Editor of British newspaper the Sunday Express, Ho was stabbed in the throat after he “selflessly intervened as the knife-wielding terrorists attacked a bouncer in the doorway of the Southwark Tavern, in Southwark Street,” the Express reported.
The paper said that he was later seen “walking calmly towards an ambulance escorted by a police officer holding a makeshift bandage to his neck.”
Australian Candice Hedge is also among the wounded, her mother told CNN Sunday.
Hedge was stabbed in the neck and is unable to speak right now, her mother Kimberley Del Toro said. “I was able to Skype with her and she gave me the thumbs up. Thank God no major artery was cut. It could have been much worse,” she told CNN.
She said Candice’s boyfriend is at her bedside.
A second Australian is also believed to have been injured in Saturday’s attack.
According to CNN affiliate Channel Seven, in a video on Instagram, the man was seen nursing a stab wound saying it was his last night in London before he was due to fly back to Australia the next day.
A 23-year-old Brit, Daniel O’Neill, also remains in the hospital after being stabbed, his mother said.
His friend applied a tourniquet, she said, explaining she’d like to find the two police officers who helped stem his bleeding and transported him to the hospital.
“Two police officers remained in the back with him, and they had him lined across them and they placed pressure on the wounds and I’m trying to find those police officers now to say thank you,” she told CNN.
A British Transport Police officer was among those stabbed by the assailants.
BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther praised his bravery, saying he had visited the officer in hospital and heard his first-hand account of the attack.
“Although he is seriously unwell, he was able to recount how he faced the attackers armed only with his baton, outside London Bridge station,” he said, adding that the officer joined the force less than two years ago.