A police officer could be seen close to tears this afternoon as she confirmed the death of an eight-year-old girl in the Wimbledon school crash tragedy.
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland was clearly emotional as she spoke at a press conference near The Study Prep School on Thursday, along with other members of the emergency services and a school governor.
She described the news of a young girl's death as "tragic" and said the force's "thoughts are with the girl’s family and friends, and everyone affected today."
Police confirmed that a woman had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a Land Rover crashed into the school this morning.
A total of 16 patients were treated at the scene and 10 were taken to hospital after the incident, chief paramedic John Martin from the London Ambulance Service said.
He 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 said the community was "profoundly affected" by the tragedy.
During a press conference at the scene in Wimbledon, John Tucker said: "As you'll perhaps appreciate, the school community is profoundly affected by this tragedy".
Mr Tucker declined to comment further as he stood beside the school's headmistress Helen Lowe, who was holding hands with head mistress-elect Sharon Maher.
A witness earlier described seeing as many as 30 schoolgirls being evacuated from the school while a teacher carried out trophies.
Another witness outside the Wimbledon school said parents had collected their children, with some described 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."
