A woman who fell into the River Thames last month as a car careened toward her during the attack on Westminster has died, police said Friday.
Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea was visiting London with her partner, Andrei Burnaz, when Khalid Masood ran over several people on the Westminster Bridge, The Guardian reported. Masood crashed the car and stabbed a police officer to death before he was killed by police.
Cristea, 31, was pulled onto a boat after crew members spotted her floating downstream on the Thames, according to The Guardian. She was taken to the hospital, where she remained on life support until Thursday.
Burnaz suffered a broken foot.
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In a statement released by police, Cristea’s family and Burnaz described the woman as a “shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts,” and said they would be donating to charity all the money raised to help her since the March 22 attack.
"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,” the statement said. “There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts.”
The death toll from the attack now stands at five. Dozens more were wounded.
Police believe Masood, 52, acted alone and was motivated by Islamist extremism.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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