By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
About 40 members from a Hays international trip are safe today after visiting the London Borough Markets district only hours before a terror attack on Saturday
Seven people were killed and more than 30 were injured when terrorists attacked a popular shopping area and London Bridge in London.
The assault began when a van veered off the road and barreled into pedestrians on London Bridge. Witnesses say three men fled the van with large knives and attacked people at bars and restaurants in nearby Borough Market.
Savannah Pfeifer, a Hays student, was on a European trip with her International Travel Club when the attack occurred.
The group was in London the day of the attack and had been in the market and had crossed London Bridge only a few hours before the attack occurred.
“I was scared and terrified,” she said via Facebook Messenger on Monday from Paris. “The first thing we all did was contacted our family back home and told them that we were safe. We found out when we got to the hotel, and so we just stayed up and watched the news.”
The Hays group left London the next morning for its next scheduled stop in Paris.
Pfeifer said she was not afraid of any further attacks, but the incident did make her more aware of the people around her.
“No, I am not afraid because attacks can happen anywhere, and I knew there was a chance of it happening,” she said.
Kristy Pfeifer, Savannah’s mother and an Eagle Communications employee, said she was terrified when she heard the news of the attacks.
“We worried about her getting sick or pick pockets,” she said. “We didn’t think anything like this would happen.”
Britain has been on an increased terror alert since a bomb was detonated May 22 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. The U.S. issued a travel alert after the concert bombing.
Savannah said she had not noticed any increased security in London. However, one of the members of the trip did post pictures of law enforcement with machine guns patrolling the London airport.
Three attackers were killed Saturday by police and 11 more suspects were in custody as of Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.