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Nurse at the heart of response to Sweden truck attack

A nurse was one of the first people on the scene of the truck attack in the Swedish capital Stockholm on Friday.
StockholmAttack

A nurse has spoken about being one of the first people on the scene of Friday's truck attack in the Swedish capital Stockholm.

StockholmAttack
The scene after the truck attack in Stockholm last Friday. Picture: Getty Images

Working at an ambulance station, Viktoria Lenander had agreed to cover an extra shift when a call came through informing her team that a truck had crashed into and injured several people in the city.

The lorry had been driven at speed by Uzbekistan national Rakhmat Akilov into a crowd of people, killing four and injuring many more.

‘I want to say a big thank you to everyone,’ Ms Lenander told Swedish health journal Vardfokus, referring to healthcare professionals and members of the public who rushed to help the injured.

‘They showed extreme courage and commitment, even though the place was not fully secure.’

Rumours

Ms Lenander worked alongside police and incident commanders for about six hours to ensure everybody was treated.

Her role involved organising 17 ambulance crews and directing people to comfort the injured while help arrived.

She said that all the time she and her colleagues worked they heard rumours about further attacks.

‘But I only listened to the police,’ she said. ‘Luckily, they had carried the wounded to pavements, shops or cafes, where we could help them. The most seriously injured were taken away first and quickly, although it may have felt like a long time to them because they were afraid.’

Mr Akilov appeared in court on Tuesday morning, when his lawyer told officials that he had admitted committing a terrorist act. He has been remanded in custody.


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