true crime

The day she turned 21, Resham was severely burned in an acid attack.

WARNING: This post contains graphic imagery.

A woman injured in an acid attack on her 21st birthday says the “devastating” event has left her wondering if her life will “ever be the same”.

Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar suffered severe burns to the face and body when they were attacked in while stopped at traffic lights in the east London suburb of Beckton.

According to the Manchester woman’s account of the June 21 event, she and Mukhtar were “blasting music and chilling” when a man threw acid through the open window of their vehicle.

“The pain was excruciating, I was struggling to close the window. My cousin struggled to get us away,” she wrote on Twitter.

 

Resham and her cousin hours before they were attacked. Image: Twitter.

"I saw my clothes burn away in front of me."

Overcome with pain, Muhktar was unable to control the vehicle and they crashed shortly afterwards.

"We stripped off in the middle of the road, running around screaming and begging for water," Khan wrote.

According to Khan's account, a fellow motorist drove the pair to the hospital where they are undergoing specialist treatment.

The BBC reports that Mukhtar was placed in an induced coma suffering burns across his body arms, legs, back, neck and the right side of his face as well as damage to his right eye, while Khan has damage to her left eye and required two skin grafts.

Resham's injuries. Images: GoFundMe.

The Manchester Metropolitan University student wrote on Twitter that her old self has been lost "forever" as a result of the attack.

"I'm devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same," she wrote.

"Acid attacks in the UK are unheard of for me."

Charges are yet to be laid.

To help Resham and Jameel in their recovery, donate to the GoFundMe campaign launched on their behalf.