Low-level dread persists
Eight years ago today, a white van mounted the pavement in London Bridge. It first struck three people before launching Xavier Thomas into the Thames. Next Chrissy Archibald was trapped under the van, briefly freed then run over. Nearby, tourists mooched about Borough Market admiring glossy chocolate strawberries and Sussex cheeses, craning their necks to look at the Shard. Here, the van crashed; Sara Zelenak and James McMullan were stabbed to death. The attackers ran down the steps leading to Boro Bistro; a waiter there, Alexandre Pigeard, was their next target. Sébastien Bélanger was cornered and knifed; so was Kirsty Boden, a nurse who had rushed to help Pigeard. Ignacio Echeverria swung his skateboard at one attacker; he would be the final victim.
