Two critical after fatal Wimbledon school crash

A gold-coloured Land Rover could be seen on school grounds surrounded by emergency responders on Thursday

An eight-year-old girl is in a life-threatening condition after a car crashed into a school in Wimbledon killing another girl.

A woman in her 40s is also in a critical condition in hospital following the crash at The Study Preparatory School on Thursday.

The Met Police said several people, including a seven-month-old girl, had been taken to hospital.

The driver of the car, a 46-year-old woman, has been bailed until late July.

The woman, from Wimbledon, had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and was taken to hospital. Her condition was assessed as not life-threatening.

Both the family of the eight-year-old girl who died and the family of the eight-year-old girl in a life-threatening condition are being supported by family liaison officers.

In a statement, the Met said no school staff were injured and the adults hurt were parents or carers.

Investigators are expected to remain at the scene of the collision throughout the day while inquiries continue.

Det Ch Supt Clair Kelland, local policing commander for south-west London, said the operation was "the largest local policing deployment in south-west London since 2017" and the scene was "challenging and traumatic".

"I understand many people will want answers about how this happened and there is a team of detectives working to establish the circumstances," she said.

Floral tributes have been laid outside the school which is based on Camp Road near Wimbledon Common

Throughout the day, numerous people have been visiting the school to pay their respects, many with their children.

Flowers and tributes have been left, including one with a handwritten note saying: "Our love and thoughts go out to you all."

Ian Hewitt, chair of the All England Club, visited the scene to "offer our heartfelt sympathies to all affected by this tragic, tragic incident".

A former parent of the school also left a note offering help from the community, while some children wrote to express their sympathy and condolences.

Numerous people have visited the school throughout the day

A total of 35 police vehicles were deployed and officers worked with paramedics to give first aid to those injured.

Det Ch Supt Kelland added the crash "would have also had a significant impact" on officers who were at the scene and the force would "ensure their welfare is looked after".

The Met said the car had been removed on Thursday evening for further examination, while officers have collected CCTV from nearby buildings and spoken with a number of witnesses.

The force repeated calls to avoid speculation while the investigation is carried out, but has said it was not treating the crash as terror-related.

The private girls' school, for children aged four to 11, is just a mile away from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club as it hosts the world-famous tennis tournament.

MP for Wimbledon Stephen Hammond said the pupils had been gathered for an end-of-year celebration party in the garden. He described what happened as "extremely distressing and extremely concerning".

London Ambulance Service said it sent 15 ambulances to the scene and treated 16 people.

St George's Hospital in Tooting said it had received "a number of patients who are being cared for by our specialist clinical teams".

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