Quinnipiac Student Describes Experience During London Attack: Report

HAMDEN, CT — Danbury High School graduate Kassie Mendes and her 12 Quinnipiac University classmates studying abroad were all safe during Wednesday's attack in London, but Mendes was close enough to the UK Parliament to hear what was going on.

Mendes told NBC Connecticut that she was in her dorm room just 20 minutes from the Parliament building, but was close enough to hear helicopters and sirens. The attack left five dead and 40 injured after a knife-wielding man drove a car into a crowd and stabbed a police officer to death on the grounds of the UK Parliament Wednesday afternoon.

Officials were investigating under the assumption the attack had been "inspired by international terrorism."

Quinnipiac officials immediately began contacting parents about the attack, and confirmed the safety of each of the students within an hour. Mendes told NBC Connecticut she felt secure in her surroundings but was concerned with information coming in slowly.

Read more from NBC Connecticut here.

Image:Emergency vehicles on Westminster Bridge after a terror attack left five dead and 40 injured. (Carl Court/Staff/Getty Images News/Getty Images)