An eight-year-old girl tragically died after a Land Rover crashed into The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon, southwest London Thursday morning (July 6).
Emergency services treated 16 people for injuries, while a 40-year-old woman at the wheel of the involved vehicle was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Worried parents huddled at the police cordon to check on their children who were supposed to be attending an end-of-year celebration party in the school's garden.
While the Metropolitan Police declared the crash a major incident, it was not being treated as terror-related.
Officer Holds Back Tears While Announcing Girl's Death
At a news conference near the school, Met Police Det. Chief Supt. Clair Kelland became emotional while announcing the death of the eight-year-old girl.
"This is a very difficult time for everyone here at the school and across the wider community," she said while struggling to hold back tears. "We would ask people not to speculate while we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened during this tragic incident."
Meanwhile, the London Ambulance Service took 10 of the injured to hospital for emergency treatment. Multiple ambulances and fire engines also responded at the scene.
Locals Shocked by the Crash
Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond (Conservative) told the BBC that part of the school where the crash happened was where the pupils aged between four and eight would have been. "It's extremely distressing and extremely concerning," he said. "The size of the response tells you how serious the incident is and there are a number of casualties, and I understand that a number of those are being treated as critical."
A representative for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also expressed his "deepest condolences" to the family of the girl who died.
Meanwhile, the school's website has been replaced by a holding page with a statement expressing their shock about the day's events.
The Study is within a mile from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts this year's world-famous tennis tournament.
Police also ask the public who may have any helpful information to come forward.
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