Woman who fell into Thames during Westminster attack dies, family pays tribute to 'our shining ray of light'

The young woman who fell into the Thames amid the Westminster attack has died, police have said.

Policemen cross Westminster Bridge, the scene of the attack by Khalid Masood.Reuters

Andreea Cristea, from Romania, is the fifth victim of the attack on 22 March, in which Khalid Masood drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge and then stabbed a policeman to death inside the grounds of Parliament, before being shot dead.

Ms Cristea, 31, on holiday in London with her boyfriend Andrei Burnaz, had been in hospital since the attack.

Her family said in a statement that she had died yesterday.

The statement said: '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.

'She will always be remembered as our shining ray of light that will forever keep on shining in our hearts.'

The family said that they would now like money donated for Ms Cristea's recovery to be given to charity.

'There are no words to even begin to describe the crushing pain and emptiness that is left in our hearts,' the statement continued.

'Our family, together with Andrei, are deeply touched and eternally grateful for the unimaginable efforts and never-ending dedication provided to her and us by the entire medical personnel of each and every hospital involved. Their kindness and empathy are beyond compare.'

Burnaz sustained a broken foot in the attack but has been discharged from hospital.

The couple were in the capital to celebrate Burnaz's birthday and he had been planning to propose to Ms Cristea that day, Romania's UK ambassador, Dan Mihalache, told the BBC.

He said it was thought Masood's car had mounted the pavement and hit Burnaz, before pushing Ms Cristea into the Thames.

The other people killed on the bridge were Aysha Frade, 44, who worked at a London sixth-form college, American tourist Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah, and retired window cleaner Leslie Rhodes, 75, from south London.

PC Keith Palmer, a father of two, was fatally stabbed after Masood forced his way into the Parliamentary estate.

Relatives of those killed joined members of the Royal Family at a 'service of hope' held at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday.