Breaking: Woman in her 20s killed after Strand collision
A young woman has died after a collision involving a van and pedestrians in The Strand.
Police were called at around 11.45am today. Three pedestrians suffered injuries, with a woman in her 20s pronounced dead at the scene.
Two pedestrians have been taken to hospital. One has potentially life-threatening injuries, the other has minor injuries.
The driver of the van, a 26-year-old man, was arrested at the scene on suspicion causing death by careless driving and drug driving.
He remains in custody, police have confirmed. Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene is in place.
“This collision is not being treated as terrorism-related,” said the Met.
As more details have emerged, with eye witnesses coming forward with accounts, one local maintenance worker told radio station LBC that the driver appeared to be “panicked” and “frozen” as the horrifying scene unfolded.
The maintenance worker said they heard a “big bang and a loud scream and lots of commotion”.
The identities of the victims have not been publicly confirmed.
The maintenance worker said the driver “looked as if he’d frozen behind the wheel, and was panicking. His hands went on his head after it happened and he immediately made a call, presumably to police”.
Another witness ran over and got a university security guard who came and immediately gave CPR to the woman.
The maintenance worker added: “We’re totally shaken. Never seen anything like it. It’s scary, you could just be walking, having a coffee or a cigarette and that happens.”
Miles Damone, a student at King’s, told the BBC: “The van came from one of the side roads by the Indian Embassy and then at this point – I didn’t see how or when – crashed into the people.
“I just saw it coming from there. It made a sharp turn and just rammed into the fence.”
Two fire engines and three ambulances were present on the scene and a large part of the area was cordoned off as emergency services dealt with the incident.
Traffic restrictions were also in place in the wider area.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called today at 11.39am to reports of an incident in The Strand.
“We sent resources to the scene including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, an incident response officer, a clinical team manager and London’s air ambulance.
“We treated four people at the scene. Sadly, despite our best efforts one person was pronounced dead. We took two other people to hospital and one was discharged at scene.”
Pictured top: The scene in The Strand today (Picture: Alamy)