A woman has died after a van collided with multiple pedestrians in central London, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed. Emergency services responded to the scene near Somerset House following the incident, which occurred shortly before midnight on Tuesday, March 18th.
Police were called to the Strand at 11:41 p.m. after reports of a collision. Three pedestrians sustained injuries. Sadly, a woman in her twenties was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people were taken to hospital; one with potentially life-threatening injuries and the other with minor injuries.
A 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and driving with the concentration of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit. The police confirmed that the man remains in custody.
According to the Met, the collision is not being treated as terrorism-related. The Strand was closed between Surrey Street and Waterloo Bridge, although eastbound traffic was still able to use the road.
A student from nearby King’s College London told LBC: “No one knew what was going on. Lots of police tape, shouting and everyone sort of just stood there.” They added: “We saw people lying down with people with ambulances around them… Everyone’s kind of shocked, I guess.”
Another witness reported to the BBC seeing a van “ram into a fence.” He said, “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.”
