A woman in her 20s has died after a van crashed into pedestrians in central London, with another person left fighting for their life. The incident occurred near Somerset House on The Strand shortly before midday on Tuesday, March 18th.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that the incident is not being treated as terror-related. A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by drug driving and careless driving.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the van reportedly flew through the air before hitting the pedestrians.
Josh, who was working nearby, told The Sun that the van came out of a service yard and went through a gate. He stated, “It was still going at speed and it ended up clipping a planter before going through the air. It hit the girl as she was sitting on the bench with one of her mates.” He added that another person was injured by the collapsing gate.
Emergency services, including paramedics and London’s Air Ambulance, rushed to the location. The woman was declared dead at the scene, which was outside King’s College London. Two other individuals were taken to the hospital, one with potentially life-threatening injuries, and the other with minor injuries.
King’s College campus was placed on lockdown following the incident. The police issued a statement, saying officers were called to the scene at 11:41 am on Tuesday, March 18th. The statement confirmed the arrest of the van’s driver and that enquiries are ongoing.
Ali, a PhD student at King’s College London, said he initially thought the emergency services were present due to a protest. “(Now knowing a woman has died) is so sad and hard to process – my thoughts go out to her family and friends,” he said.
