An eight-year-old girl has died after a Land Rover crashed into a girls' prep school building in London, police said. The Metropolitan Police also said a woman in her 40s had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving following the incident at The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon, on Thursday morning.
A statement said: "We can now confirm that sadly a child has died following an incident where a car collided with a building at a school in Wimbledon. We can also confirm that the driver of the vehicle, a woman aged in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving There have been further injuries and we await an update from the London Ambulance Service."
Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, local police commander for south-west London, said: "This is tragic news and our thoughts are with the girl's family and friends, and everyone affected today. We remain at the scene and are continuing our investigation into the full circumstances of the incident."
Speaking at a later press conference, Det Chf Supt Kelland added: "Very sadly one of the children, an eight-year-old girl, died at the scene. Our thoughts are with her family at this incredibly difficult time."
The incident, which saw officers, firefighters and paramedics, including London’s Air Ambulance, respond at around 9.54am on Thursday, is not being treated as terror-related. It was confirmed earlier on Thursday that seven children and two adults were injured in the incident, which took place on the last day of term.
Speaking at the press conference, Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin gave an updated to say that ambulance crews treated 16 people in total.
Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin from the London Ambulance Service told reporters: "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."
Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond told the the PA news agency several of those hurt were “critically injured”.
He said: “Since being declared by the local police a major incident, you’ve seen that we’ve had fire, air ambulance, ambulance and police on the scene. There are a number of people who are critically injured as I understand it and given the scale of the response from emergency services… this is a very serious incident.”
The school, which costs £5,565 per term, is for girls aged four to 11 and sits on Wimbledon Common, just a mile away from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as it hosts the world-famous tennis tournament.
Wimbledon resident Julie Atwood told the PA news agency: “My daughter used to go to this school. It’s a girls’ school. Wimbledon is like a little village. For this to happen in Wimbledon is unheard of. It’s terrible.”
A witness 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."
Police said earlier that they were called at 9.54am and the driver of the Land Rover had stopped at the scene. The force said the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
