A Canadian tourist died in her stricken fiancé’s arms during the London Bridge terror attack, according to a report Monday.
Christine Archibald, 30, of Castlegar, British Columbia, was walking just behind fiancé Tyler Ferguson on the bridge Saturday evening when three terrorists in a van veered into a crowd of pedestrians there, said Ferguson’s brother, Mark, told CBC News.
“[Tyler] heard tires screeching, and he looked back, and he just saw the mayhem going on and the van hitting people,” Mark Ferguson said.
Archibald was among those mowed down. Tyler tried CPR on her, to no avail, Mark Ferguson said.
“First responders showed up right away, and they tried to do everything they could for her,” Mark Ferguson said.
“She passed in [Tyler’s] arms.”
Tyler’s sister, Cassie Ferguson, said in a Facebook conversation with CBC that her brother, who is from Calgary, Canada, “is broken into a million pieces.
“He held her and watched her die in his arms,” she wrote.
Mark Ferguson told the CBC that the couple had been living together in Den Haag, Netherlands, where Tyler had been working for about eight months as an accountant. He proposed to her soon after she joined him there. The couple had planned to return to British Columbia, specifically Archibald’s hometown in Castlegar, after Tyler finished his contract.
Tyler had been in London for about a week on business, and Archibald had joined him for the weekend, Ferguson said.
After his fiancée’s tragic death, Tyler stayed in London — and his brother said family members are making the long trip to be with him.
“They were very madly in love and had quite the plans for the future,” Mark Ferguson said. “[It’s] obviously very, very devastating for him. The love of his life has just been ripped away from him.”
In a statement, Archibald’s family wrote that they were grieving the loss of their “beautiful, loving daughter and sister,” The Independent reported.
“She had room in her heart for everyone and believed strongly that every person was to be valued and respected,” they said.
“She lived this belief working in a shelter for the homeless until she moved to Europe to be with her fiancé. She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death.”
“Please honour her by making your community a better place,” they ended the emotional statement. “Volunteer your time and labour or donate to a homeless shelter. Tell them Chrissy sent you.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that he was “heartbroken that a Canadian is among those killed.”
“Canada strongly condemns the senseless attack that took place last night in London, United Kingdom, which killed and injured many innocent people,” he added.
Alpha House, the homeless shelter in Calgary where Archibald had worked, said in a statement that its employees were “devastated” when they heard of her death, CBC reported.
“We grieve the loss of our dear friend and colleague, and will remember her as a talented social worker, workmate and exceptional human being,” the statement said. “It was our privilege to have known her. Our thoughts are with her family and friends as they struggle with their tremendous loss. Chrissy is in our hearts and will remain there.”
Archibald graduated from Calgary’s Mount Royal University in 2015 with a degree in social work, CBC reported. The school’s president, David Docherty, called her a “truly outstanding student” in a statement issued to the news outlet.
“It is with great sadness that we learned an alumna of Mount Royal University was killed in a horrific act of violence in London this weekend,” he said. “Our deepest condolences go to her family and loved ones, as well as to members of our community who are grieving her loss.”