Girl, 8, dies and 15 injured after car crashes into Wimbledon prep school

An eight-year-old girl died on Thursday morning when a car crashed into a primary school in south-west London.

Fifteen others were injured, along with two adults, when a brown Land Rover came off the road and drove across a lawn before crashing into a building at The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon.

A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, Metropolitan Police said.

The incident, which is not being treated as terror related, happened shortly before 10am at the fee-paying school.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland told a press conference at the scene, as her voice broke with emotion: “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.”

London Ambulance Service chief paramedic John Martin said 15 ambulances, specialist critical care paramedics and London's air ambulance were sent to the scene of the crash.

He said a “major incident” had been declared and a total of 16 people were treated at the scene, with 10 later taken to hospital.

An end-of-term party was reportedly taking place when the crash occurred, and images from television news helicopters show a picnic table laid out by the lawn, with play equipment set up nearby.

Earlier, local MP Stephen Hammond said: “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.”

The school, which charges £5,565 a term, is for girls aged four to 11 and is on Wimbledon Common, about 1.6km from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which is hosting the world-famous tennis tournament.

Resident Yen McConaghy, 61, told The National she saw a number of ambulances, fire engines and officers from the Met's Territorial Support Group.

“The school is in a cul-de-sac and they've cordoned the whole area off. It looks serious,” she said.

“We're all standing here and there's a few parents going in. Something big has happened. I've never seen this before. People are worried. It's very upsetting.”

Mr Hammond added that the location was “really quite remote”, about 1.6km from Wimbledon village and on the way to several nearby golf clubs.

One girl died, and six other children and two adults were injured when a car crashed into The Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon. PA

A woman in her 40s was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, the Metropolitan Police said. Getty

An air ambulance lands on Wimbledon Common. Getty

Police officers at the scene. PA

Police and emergency services in Wimbledon. Getty Images

“It's extremely distressing and extremely concerning,” he added.

The Met said officers were called at 9.54am following reports that a car had collided with a school building.

Tweets from Wimbledon and Putney Commons urged the public to stay away from the area.

“Following an incident at the edge of the Common on Camp Road, the public are asked to avoid that area of the Commons to allow free access to the emergency services,” it said.

“Emergency vehicles are likely to be using the Commons to get to the location so please be alert to what is happening and follow instructions from our staff. Thank you.”