London Bridge attack: Romanian baker who fought terrorist with crates hailed a hero

Tales of bravery come to light amid the horror of the carnage

A Romanian baker has been described as one of the heroes of the London Bridge attack after he hit one of the terrorists over the head with a crate before giving shelter to 20 people.

Footage shows Romanian Florin Morariu helping a police officer armed with a baton lead a stabbing victim through the carnage to safety.

Mr Morariu repeatedly asks for people to bring him weapons so he can fend off further attempted attacks from the terrorists.

At one point he asks for an iron club and then demands a crate, which he hurls at the terrorists as they indiscriminately stab passers-by with foot-long knives.

He then allowed shell-shocked witnesses into the bakery where he works until the danger had passed after armed police shot dead the three killers.

He told the BBC: “I felt pity for the victims, I didn't know how to handle things or react, I thought to myself 'I'm also in danger'.

"I just threw the crate at [one of the attackers]. I threw the first crate and I knew he was going to dodge it. While he was dodging it, I walked towards him and hit him in the head with the other crate.”

The baker said he saw a woman being stabbed in the throat during the rampage which left seven dead and 48 people injured, 18 of them critically.

Dan Stoenescu, Romania's ambassador to Tunisia, praised Mr Morariu on social media.

He said: “Florin Morariu was a true hero during London terrorist attack! Proud of our Romanians abroad.”

As details of the victims begin to emerge, several stories of heroism have also come to light.

A Spanish man tried to defend a woman who was being stabbed with a skateboard – but concern is growing for Ignacio Echeverria, 39, who has not been seen since.

An off-duty police officer was stabbed after tackling one of the terrorists and remains in a critical condition.

A British Transport Police officer, who faced the attackers armed only with his baton while armed police rushed to the scene, was seriously injured but is now in a stable condition.

Chief Constable Paul Crowther from the BTP said the bravery he showed was “outstanding”.