London attack: Toll rises to eight after a body is found in the Thames
The victim is believed to be French tourist Xavier Thomas, who was thrown into the water after being struck by the van.
The toll from the London Bridge terror attack rose to eight on Wednesday after police officials searching for a French national recovered a body from the River Thames.
Xavier Thomas, 45, was believed to have been struck by the terrorists’ van on the bridge on Saturday night. Witnesses said he had fallen into the water after being hit.
The body was recovered by specialist officers from the marine police unit near Limehouse, downstream of London Bridge, at around 7.45 pm on Tuesday, reported The Independent.
“Formal identification has not yet taken place, however Mr. Thomas’ next of kin have been informed of this development,” police was quoted as saying by AFP.
The terrorists had driven a van into people on London Bridge before stabbing people in nearby Borough Market on the night of June 3.
Thomas and his girlfriend had been walking over the London Bridge towards the Borough Market at around the time the attack took place. “Witness accounts suggest that it is possible that Xavier was struck by the van that resulted in him being thrown into the River Thames,” police said in Tuesday’s statement. His girlfriend was also seriously injured after she was hit by the van.
Earlier, France had said two of its citizens had died during the London Bridge attack on June 3. A third French national was still missing and four were seriously injured, the country’s foreign ministry had said.