Victoria Bus Station: Woman dies after being struck by bus

A woman has died after being hit by a bus outside Victoria Bus Station in central London.

The pedestrian died shortly after the rush-hour crash at 08:59 GMT while the bus driver - who an eyewitness saw being cut from the vehicle - was taken to hospital.

Photos on social media showed a red double-decker bus that had crashed into a passenger shelter at Terminus Place.

"We are currently working to inform the next of kin," the Met Police said.

Broken glass covered the ground after the bus hit the shelter

A large piece of black tarpaulin has been used to cordon off the area, with two buses behind it that look as if they may have collided, says BBC London's Thomas Magill at the scene.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the station had closed "for the foreseeable future".

He called the crash an "awful tragedy", adding that an investigation was taking place.

Fire crews from Lambeth were sent to the scene

"Our thoughts and prayers are with this pedestrian who has been killed today," Mr Khan said.

A Met Police spokesperson said the force was working with British Transport Police.

"The bus station remains closed but there are no other road closures in place," the Met said.

The incident happened at Terminus Place, outside Victoria Bus Station

The force added that the railway station remained unaffected.

London Ambulance Service, which sent the air ambulance to the scene, said a third person was also treated by paramedics but had since been "assessed and discharged".

Analysis

Tom Edwards, BBC London transport correspondent

What happened in this incident is now the subject of a police investigation. And while we don't know what happened, we do know that Victoria is a very, very busy transport interchange and fatalities have happened there before.

Thousands of passengers stream from the Tube and the trains right into the bus station outside.

In August 2021, a commuter, Melissa Burr, died after being hit by a bus and two others were injured.

This latest fatality is bound to raise questions again about Victoria Bus Station and how safe its design is for commuters.

Glynn Barton, Transport for London's (TfL) chief operating officer, said it was assisting the police investigation along with bus operator RATP.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the person who was tragically killed following a collision with a bus in Victoria this morning.

"This will have been a deeply distressing incident for everyone involved and we have support available for those affected."

Operator RATP Dev Transit London confirmed it was investigating the death.

A spokesman said: "Emergency services are in attendance and our teams will be working closely with the relevant authorities to determine the circumstances of the incident.

"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the pedestrian who has sadly passed away."

Emergency services remain at the scene and an investigation is taking place

Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster, said on social media: "[I am] very sorry and concerned that a pedestrian was killed at Victoria Bus Station earlier today.

"And so soon after works were undertaken to make the area safe following another awful death of a pedestrian in 2021."

In November last year, the bus station at Terminus Place was closed for about six weeks for "essential works to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility".

The works included changing parts of the layout, altering road markings and adding tactile paving.

TfL said it had set specific targets for safe travel in London, and wanted to see no deaths in, or by, a London bus by 2030.

London Fire Brigade said it had sent two fire engines from Lambeth fire station to the scene.

Crews were still on site supporting the police, the brigade added.

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