Child dies after car crashes into elementary school in Wimbledon, London
By Alex Hardie, Max Foster and Rob Picheta, CNN
(CNN) — A child has been killed after a car crashed into an elementary school in southwest London, injuring six other children and two adults, London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Police also said that the driver of the vehicle, a woman in her 40s, has been “arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.”
The incident at the The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon is not being treated as terror-related.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, called the serious collision “absolutely devastating.” In a tweet, Khan said his “heart goes out to everyone affected” and urged people to avoid the area to allow emergency services free access.
“An investigation is underway to understand the full circumstances and I continue to stay in close contact with the Met and other emergency services,” Khan said.
Police were called at 9:54 a.m. local time to reports that a car collided with a building at the primary school in Camp Road, the force said in a statement. The institution is a fee-paying girls’ school for pupils aged 4-11.
The school said it was “profoundly shocked by the tragic accident” that took place and was “devastated that it has claimed the life of one of our young pupils as well as injuring several others.”
“Now that a police investigation is underway we will not be making any further public statement for the time being and would ask that the privacy of our school community is respected at this deeply upsetting time,” The Study Preparatory School said in the statement.
The prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament began in the neighborhood on Monday, and the championships posted a statement on their official Twitter page following the incident.
“On behalf of everyone at Wimbledon, we wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by the tragic events at Wimbledon Study Preparatory School.
“Our thoughts are with them, their families, the school and the wider community at this deeply distressing time.”
The Member of Parliament for Wimbledon, Stephen Hammond, also said that he was “deeply saddened at the tragic news” in a statement sent to CNN. “My thoughts are with the girl’s family and friends,” Hammond added.
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CNN’s Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting.
