An eight-year-old girl in the UK has died after a Land Rover crashed into a primary school in southwest London.
Several children were believed to be in critical condition after the crash when the Land Rover smashed into a building at a girls’ school in Wimbledon on the last day of term.
The driver of the vehicle, a woman aged in her 40s, has been arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
READ MORE: Critical injuries reported after Land Rover smashes into primary school in Wimbledon
One local told the Mirror he believes the children were sat outside on the grass having a "tea party" when the gold and black Land Rover smashed through the fence.
He said: “It’s terrible, the children were sat on the grass with their teachers for the end of the school year having a tea party.
“We think a local resident was coming down from the Royal Wimbledon golf club and crashed through the fence.”
Emergency services rushed to the scene outside The Study Preparatory School on Camp Road, Wimbledon following the incident shortly before 10am this morning.
A total of 16 patients were treated at the scene and 10 were taken to hospital. The youngest victims are believed to be aged four, although this has not yet been confirmed.
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.
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 €18,600 (£16,000) per year, 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.
Mr Hammond said the Camp Road site of the school caters for younger children between the ages of four and eight.
Police extended a large cordon around the school and television pictures from overhead showed the car up against the wall of the building, while firefighters and paramedics stood near a gap in the fencing at the entrance to the site.
Police officers moved dog walkers and passers-by away from the scene as an air ambulance remained on the edge of the Common while a number of ambulances parked nearby.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement this afternoon: "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."
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was "saddened" by the incident, adding in a tweet: "My thoughts are with everyone affected. I would like to thank emergency responders at the scene. It is important they are now able to carry out their investigation."
