Car crashes into London school, injuring 7 children

Seven children and two adults were injured on Thursday when a vehicle crashed into a private girls’ primary school in the southwestern London suburb of Wimbledon, authorities said.

Police and emergency services were called to the school, called the Study Prep, just before 10 a.m. after reports of a collision at a school building, officials said, and ambulances treated the injured at the scene.

The crash, about a mile from where the Wimbledon tennis tournament was being held, was not being treated as terrorism-related, the Metropolitan Police, the police force covering London, said in a statement.

The driver of the car – a Land Rover, according to aerial photos – has not been apprehended.

While authorities did not immediately describe the condition of the injured, helicopter ambulances were present, and are generally only called to treat the seriously injured.

Police cordoned off surrounding streets and urged the public to avoid the area to facilitate access for emergency services. The fire brigade was also on site.

In a quiet residential area of ​​London close to parks and a golf course, The Study Prep offers classes to girls aged 4 to 11.

The Metropolitan Police said officers had opened an investigation to understand “the full circumstances” leading up to the crash.

Most students in Britain are finishing their classes this month before summer vacation. Stephen Hammond, the MP whose district includes Wimbledon, told the BBC the crash was “extremely disturbing and extremely worrying”.

Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, wrote on Twitter“My thoughts are with families, staff and the community involved and I am immensely grateful for the prompt action of emergency services who are currently on the scene.”