Eyewitness threw chairs, bottles at three men stabbing helpless woman in London terror attack

The violence turned a summery Saturday night in an area full of bars and restaurants into a scene of panic and chaos, with officers running through crowded streets screaming for people to flee and lifeboats drafted to help clear the area

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Debris and abandoned cars remain at the scene of an apparent terror attack in central London. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:19am, 4 Jun 2017Updated: 10:19am, 4 Jun 2017

Witnesses have described the horror of watching a van plough into pedestrians in central London and several people being stabbed in an attack called terrorist incident.

Gerard Vowls, 47, had been watching the Champions League final at the Ship pub in Borough. He was at the start of the south side of London Bridge and said he saw a woman being stabbed by three men in their 30s.

“I want to know if this girl is still alive,” he said. “I’ve been walking around for an hour and a half crying my eyes out. I don’t know what to do.”

Vowls said he threw chairs, glasses and bottles at the attackers in a bid to stop the men. “They kept coming to try to stab me ... they were stabbing everyone. Evil, evil people.” It took at least 10 minutes for armed police to reach the scene, he added.

Witnesses spoke of the van first hitting pedestrians late Saturday night and of the occupants jumping out. There were reports of a man armed with a large blade.

One picture from the Borough Market area showed a man lying on the ground. He appears to have canisters strapped to him, though it was unclear if he was an attacker or bystander. Photo: Gabrielle Sciotto

One photograph showed a man on the ground after being shot by police, apparently with canisters strapped to his body. Gabrielle Sciotto, a documentary-maker who took the picture, said he saw people running away from Borough Market.