Sweden’s Eagle News Service correspondent, Pauline Bautista, a Filipina, recalls the horror and shock of witnessing first hand the tragic truck attack in the country’s capital of Stockholm.
Bautista recalled how the bus she was riding in stopped just in the nick of time, a few seconds before the “terror truck” passed through and rammed the crowd on the busy street.
The people were crying, shouting, running. Some were frantically calling the police or ambulance. Many were shocked, and were in a daze. There were those who tried to help, still dazed, she said.
When she stepped off the bus, she saw the horror of it all.
One body was cut it half. Another was on the brink of death, gasping for air.
All were in a daze, still shocked that this was happening, Bautista recalled.
“Napatingin ako sa dinaanan ng truck at nakita ko na may usok sa gawing dulong iyon. Matapos ang ilang minuto, ay may narinig kaming nagsisigaw na “springa” – ibig sabihin ay takbo. Kahit hindi namin alam kung bakit, ang ilan sa amin- kasama na ako- ay nagtakbuhan, dala na rin siguro ng takot na baka may mangyari pa ulit na ganoon o mas higit pa. (I saw the path the truck took, I saw smoke at the end. After a few minutes, I heard somebody shouting,’Springa’ meaning ‘Run.’ Even if we didn’t know why, I was among those who ran, out of fear, that something might happen, something worse)” Baustista said.