As many of you may know, yesterday London suffered the deadliest terror attack the UK has seen in the past 12 years. We wanted to honor all those who were affected by this horrific attack, especially the three people who were killed, Kurt Cochran, Aysha Frade and Keith Palmer. Please continue to pray for London and the multiple countries that have had to endure such hurt from the continuous terrorist attacks. One of our very own Stonehill students Alana Cotto, currently studying at the London School of Economics, was in the area during the heat of the attack but thankfully is safe and sound, mourning along with the rest of the UK. We were lucky enough to get a few words from Alana about her experience:
“I was being treated in St.Thomas’ hospital on Westminster Bridge when I heard over the radio that there had been an incident at Westminster. I walked over to the window and immediately saw hundreds of police cars, emergency vehicles, and people frantically running from the bridge. I was given my discharge papers from the hospital and attempted to leave; however, every exit was blocked with security personnel repeating, “Nobody in, nobody out.” My friend (who had been visiting me at the hospital) and I managed to find an exit which was still accessible and left as quickly as we could. The streets were filled with reporters and police, and the sky was filled with helicopters. It seemed surreal, like a scene from a movie. When I finally made it back to my dorm, my phone was flooded with messages from family and friends.The next day, a friend and I took a walk to Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament to pay our respects to those who lost their lives. The usually bustling and loud streets were quiet; people were laying flowers and notes near the scene of the attack. To say that I was near the heart of a terrorist attack sounds terrifying; the reality was much less intense. However, the international reign of terror is devastating and one can only hope that peace will soon prevail.”- Alana Cotto
Pictures from the scene: