One woman died after a van crashed into pedestrians near the entrance to King’s College London and detectives from the Metropolitan Police have now provided an update
A woman who was seriously injured after a van drove into pedestrians in central London remains in hospital, police have confirmed as part of a major update.
The 27-year-old woman was one of a handful of people who was injured in the collision, which occurred close to The Strand, near King’s College London’s campus, on Tuesday morning. In an update shared by the Metropolitan Police on Wednesday, detectives confirmed the woman remains in hospital in a serious condition, with her injuries not believed to be life-threatening. A woman in her 20s was pronounced dead at the scene in the tragic crash and specialist officers are supporting her devastated family.
A third person who was injured – a 23-year-old man – was taken to hospital and has since been discharged. The driver of the van, a 26-year-old man, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. He was further arrested whilst in custody on suspicion of drug driving offences and has since been bailed. The incident is not being treated as terror-related.
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Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah, in charge of policing for the area of central London where the fatal collision occurred, said: “This was a tragic incident which has deeply affected the community. I commend the actions of the emergency services and members of the public who provided aid to those involved, who tried to save this young woman’s life and help the others who were injured.
“This area of London is extremely busy and those who have been in the area over the last 24 hours would have noticed an increased police presence as our inquiries continue. Cordons have since been lifted, however we continue to work with those in the area, including King’s College London.
“We are aware of inaccurate speculation online about this incident being terrorism-related. We ask the public to refrain from this speculation to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and avoid causing further suffering to the family of the young woman.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of the young woman who has died.” A large cordon was put in place following the incident on Tuesday, with emergency services scrambling to the scene at just before midday.
Witnesses said they saw a van colliding with a group of pedestrians close to the entrance to Somerset House, and multiple people on the ground being treated by paramedics. Officers were later seen asking students for information about what they saw
Chief Superintendent Thomas Naughton, of the Met’s roads and transport policing command, said: “Our team is continuing to establish the facts around this extremely upsetting incident. The investigation remains in the early stages and officers continue to gather CCTV and obtain witness statements from those at the scene.
“The 26-year-old man who was arrested has since been bailed whilst our inquiries continue. This is a complex investigation which remains a priority to ensure justice for those affected.”
Eyewitnesses described a “shocked” atmosphere outside the university in the aftermath. One student told LBC: “We saw people lying down with people with ambulances around them… Everyone’s kind of shocked, I guess”.
Another witness described how she cheated death. They told the Metro: “‘There were three people all together across the path injured. It was carnage. I escaped death by seconds.”
