A woman has been rescued from the Thames River after she “fell” from Westminster Bridge amid a suspected terror attack outside Parliament.

Hundreds of people fled the area as the attacker mowed down several members of the public with their car.

The attacker drove into a railing outside the Houses of Parliament before stabbing a police officer.

Witnesses said people either jumped or were knocked over the side of the bridge as the car mounted the pavement and struck a number of pedestrians.

The woman was pulled out of the water and is currently undergoing urgent medical treatment.

A spokesman for the Port of London Authority, which looks after safety on the River Thames, said: “A female member of the public was recovered from the water near Westminster Bridge. She is alive but undergoing urgent medical treatment on a nearby pier. We believe she fell from the bridge.”

Westminster terror attack: At least two dead

He said the river has been closed from Vauxhall to Embankment “as part of the security response”.

Five people have died from the attack, with 40 more hurt. A police officer is among the dead.

Some of those who survived were described as having “catastrophic” injuries.

Eyewitness Steve Voake, 55, was walking across the Westminster Bridge towards the South Bank when he saw the incident take place.

He said he saw at least two bodies lying on the road and one in the water.

“I saw a trainer lying in the road and when I looked more closely I saw that there were a couple of bodies the other side of the road,” he told the Press Association.