A police officer was tearful as she confirmed the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl in the horror crash at a primary school today.
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland spoke at a press conference near The Study Prep School in Wimbledon on Thursday, July 6, after a Land Rover crashed into the building. She said the force's "thoughts are with the girl’s family and friends, and everyone affected today."
Cops confirmed that a woman had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the incident, reports the Daily Mirror.
It has also been confirmed that 16 patients were treated at the scene and 10 were taken to hospital.
Chief paramedic John Martin from the London Ambulance Service said : "At 9.54 we received a 999 call to a collision on Camp Road in Wimbledon.
"We dispatched multiple resources including specialist critical care paramedics, London's air ambulance and 15 ambulances.
"We declared a major incident. We treated 16 patients on scene. Sadly, as we've heard, one eight-year-old girl died."
The chairman of the board of governors at the Study Prep School, John Tucker, said the community was "profoundly affected" by the child's death.
During a press conference at the scene, he said: "As you'll perhaps appreciate, the school community is profoundly affected by this tragedy".
A witness said up to 30 schoolgirls were evacuated from the school, while a teacher carried out trophies.
Another witness said parents had collected their children, describing some of them as "distraught".
Zac Powell, who did not give his age or address, told reporters: "I arrived at around quarter past 10, within 15 minutes of the incident happening.
"I saw a lot of distraught parents rushing from the scene on my arrival.
"Since then I have seen a lot of parents coming and picking up their children with expressions of relief or despair.
"There was quite a lot of damage I could see. Even from a distance.
"Within 15 minutes of my arrival, there were armed police response units here at the scene."
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