An eight-year-old girl has died after a car crashed into a London primary school building. A spokeswoman for the London police said yesterday in tears at a press conference after the accident in the Wimbledon district. The driver of the car was arrested on suspicion of homicide through dangerous driving, the spokeswoman said. It is therefore a woman between the ages of 40 and 50 years.
It was initially unclear why the car had left the road and entered the school grounds. The spokeswoman emphasized, however, that one does not assume a terrorist background.
15 ambulances on duty
A spokesman for the emergency services said a total of 16 people were treated on site, 10 of whom were taken to the hospital. Police had previously spoken of seven children and two adults injured in the incident. A total of 15 ambulances were used, said the spokesman for the London Ambulance Service. No details were initially known about the condition of the other victims.
A damaged Land Rover was seen on television next to the school building, apparently breaching a fence and moving quite a distance on school grounds. There were also seating areas near the wrecked car in the outdoor area. According to a BBC report, it is a school for girls aged 4 to 11. The children of the private school had therefore gathered in the garden for a small celebration on the last day of the school year.
Mayor Khan ‘heartbroken’
A large number of emergency services vehicles could be seen around the school in the south-west of the British capital. Police said a rescue helicopter was also on the scene. The first emergency call is said to have been received shortly before 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. CEST).
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “heartbroken” that an eight-year-old girl had died so tragically, according to the British news agency PA. His thoughts are with his loved ones, the school and the wider environment “at this extremely difficult time”. He also expressed his “deepest condolences on behalf of all Londoners” to the bereaved.
Interior Minister Suella Braverman was also dismayed by the incident. “My thoughts are with everyone affected,” wrote the conservative politician on Twitter. She thanked the authorities for their efforts. It is important that they can now determine.
