Girl, 8, killed and 15 injured in Wimbledon primary school crash – live

Jump to content Sign up to our newsletters Subscribe News Sports Voices Culture Lifestyle Travel Premium Close Police officer fights back tears as she announces death of eight-year-old at Wimbledon school An eight-year-old girl has died and 15 others left injured after a Land Rover crashed into a girls’ prep school in Wimbledon, police have confirmed. An end-of-term tea party was reportedly underway at The Study Prep school, in Camp Road, when the crash took place at around 10am on Thursday. Detective chief superintendent Clair Kelland’s voice broke as she told a press conference: ‘Very sadly one of the children, an eight-year-old girl, died at the scene.’ She added: ‘This is a very difficult time for everyone here at the school and across the wider community.’ A woman in her 40s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in custody. The Study Prep Wimbledon, with pupils aged between four and 11, declined to comment on the incident. The all-girls school is located about a mile from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club where the Wimbledon Grand Slam championship is currently taking place. Have you been affected by this incident? If so email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk. 1688700602 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m heartbroken at the news that an eight-year-old girl has so tragically died following the incident at a school in Wimbledon. ‘My thoughts are with her loved ones, the school and wider community at this extremely difficult time, and on behalf of all Londoners I want to extend my deepest condolences to them. ‘My heart goes out to everyone affected, including the other children and adults injured as a result of this incident, and I wish them all a full recovery.’ Namita Singh 7 July 2023 04:30 1688698800 Air ambulance takes off at Wimbledon primary school crash Martha Mchardy 7 July 2023 04:00 1688695200 The scene at The Study Prep School in Wimbledon, South west London People gather outside a cordon at the scene of the car crash An air ambulance lands on Wimbledon Common Police and emergency services attend the scene Martha Mchardy 7 July 2023 03:00 1688691600 The prime minister’s official spokesman said Rishi Sunak thanked the emergency services for their swift response. The spokesman said: ‘The prime minister’s deepest condolences are with the family of the girl who has tragically lost her life. ‘His thoughts are with all those injured and involved in the horrific collision in Wimbledon this morning. ‘This will have been a terrifying experience for all of the children, staff and parents.m Mr Hammond said he was ‘very concerned’ to hear about the ‘major incident’, adding: ‘My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone at The Study.’ He told the BBC: ‘Extraordinarily distressing and tragic incident on the last day of term … there has actually been a major incident declared. The air ambulance, the ambulance, the fire services, and the police are all in attendance.’ Police are investigating the cause of the incident ‘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.’ Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the incident as ‘devastating’ and said: ‘My heart goes out to everyone affected.’ Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was ‘saddened to hear about the tragic incident at the school in Wimbledon this morning’, 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.’ Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: ‘Thinking of all the families, pupils and staff affected by the terrible incident at a primary school in Wimbledon this morning. Thank you to the emergency services on site for their swift response.’ Martha Mchardy 7 July 2023 02:00 1688688000 Police are not treating the incident as terror-related. Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, local police commander for southwest 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.’ A large police cordon is in place stretching onto Wimbledon Common where officers are moving dog walkers and passers-by away from the scene. An air ambulance was at the edge of the Common while a number of ambulances were parked nearby in the hours after the crash. Martha Mchardy 7 July 2023 01:00 1688684400 An eight-year-old girl has died but her identity has not yet been revealed. Some 15 people were injured in the incident and treated at the scene, while 10 were taken to hospital. A number of those injured are being treated as critical, according to Stephen Hammond, the Conservative MP for Wimbledon. Martha Mchardy 7 July 2023 00:00 1688680803 The Metropolitan Police said it was called at 9.54am to reports a car had crashed into a building at the school. London Fire Brigade attended the scene, along with 15 ambulances and an air ambulance. A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon It is understood the Land Rover was being driven by a woman who suffered a medical incident, reported the Evening Standard . Police said the driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene but would not confirm any more about the possible cause of the crash. The gold Land Rover reportedly crashed through an ‘end-of-term tea party’, with reports to The Mirror claiming ‘the children were sat on the grass with their teachers’ when the car ploughing into them. The London Ambulance Service said 16 people were treated at the scene. Martha Mchardy 6 July 2023 23:00 1688677203 Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland from the Metropolitan Police said: ‘I am here to give you an update following today’s tragic incident here in Wimbledon. ‘We were called shortly before 10 o’clock this morning after a car collided with a building at The Study Preparatory School, behind me in Camp Road. ‘A large number of our officers were deployed to the scene, along with paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance. ‘Our officers, along with our colleagues from the other emergency services, provided first aid to a number of people who had been injured. ‘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 driver of the car, a woman aged in her 40s, stopped at the scene. ‘She was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been taken into custody. ‘This is a very difficult time for everyone here at the school and across the wider community. ‘We would ask people not to speculate while we work to understand the full circumstances of what has happened. ‘We are not treating this incident as terror related. ‘Our officers have already spoken to a number of witnesses and have viewed CCTV. ‘If anyone has any information about what happened, please contact us as soon as possible by calling 101, or speaking to officers here at the scene.’ Martha Mchardy 6 July 2023 22:00 1688676357 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m heartbroken at the news that an eight-year-old girl has so tragically died following the incident at a school in Wimbledon. ‘My thoughts are with her loved ones, the school and wider community at this extremely difficult time, and on behalf of all Londoners I want to extend my deepest condolences to them. ‘My heart goes out to everyone affected, including the other children and adults injured as a result of this incident, and I wish them all a full recovery.’ Martha Mchardy 6 July 2023 21:45 1688673603 Sitting around picnic tables in the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon pupils and staff were caught unaware when the powerful 4×4 smashed into the garden , inflicting catastrophic injuries on those in its path. Horrific aerial pictures show the car was finally brought to a halt when it rammed into a wall of the building , surrounded by benches where the victims had been enjoying a celebration to mark the last day of term at the southwest London school before the summer holidays. Woman in her forties arrested after Land Rover crashes into pupils’ tea party Martha Mchardy 6 July 2023 21:00 Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in