A woman arrested on suspicion of causing the death of a young girl at a school in south London has been released on bail.
The driver, who has not been named, was detained after a Land Rover she was driving crashed through a school fence into a building at the Study Preparatory School in Wimbledon during an after-term tea party.
A major emergency response was launched following the incident, which left an eight-year-old girl dead and 15 people injured.
Another eight-year-old girl is in hospital with life-threatening injuries, while a woman in her 40s is in a critical condition.
Also among the injured was a seven-month-old girl whose condition has been assessed as not life threatening, Metropolitan Police said.
The 46-year-old woman was arrested at the scene of the crash on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She was brought to hospital but her condition was not considered serious.
A Met Police statement said that the woman had been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Detectives from the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit were leading the investigation and were expected to remain at the scene throughout the day.
“The investigation remains in its early stages and officers are keeping an open mind whilst following up all lines of inquiry,” the statement said.
“We ask that people do not speculate about the circumstances while this work is ongoing.”
A police cordon was no longer in place on Friday morning, while flowers and tributes had been placed near the entrance to the school.
Members of the Wimbledon Common Golf Club, situated opposite the school, held a minute’s silence outside the gates on Friday afternoon.
The group, most of whom were wearing the club’s red tops, briefly stood on the road to pay their respects and laid flowers for the victims.
Speaking afterwards, Peter Thompson, chairman of the golf club, said: “We’re close neighbours, we’ve got close links with The Study.
“It’s just so sad to lose someone so young.”
The school said in a statement that it was “profoundly shocked” by what happened.
“Our thoughts are with the bereaved family and with the families of those injured at this terrible time,” a statement on its website added.
“It is still far too soon to fully understand what happened, but we are well aware of the significant impact this dreadful event will have on our pupils and their families.
“Their welfare remains our top priority and we will be doing everything we can to support them, especially those who suffered injuries.”
