Several people have been injured after a car mounted the pavement outside the Natural History Museum in London.
A man has been arrested at the scene, according to the Metropolitan Police, after several pedestrians were mowed down by a vehicle. He was pinned to the ground in front of stunned tourists shortly after 2.20pm on Saturday afternoon.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said it is not being treated as a terrorist incident at this stage while the authorities ‘establish what has happened’. Pictures from the scene show two cars appearing to have been involved in a collision.
A Metropolitan Police statement reads:
Police were called at 1421 on Saturday, 7 October to reports of a collision in Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
It is believed that a number of pedestrians have been injured. Officers are on scene, and the London Ambulance Service have been called.
A man has been arrested at the scene. Enquiries to establish the circumstances and motive are underway.
Nearby museums and Tube stations including Sloane Square and South Kensington have been evacuated as the authorities’ efforts are ongoing.
The Natural History Museum Twitter account shared a message regarding the ‘serious incident’.
They are currently working closely with the police, it added:
One eye-witness stated the injuries sustained seemed to be ‘minor’ at this stage. This remains unverified by the London Ambulance Service.
As armed police were called to the scene, civilians were quick to praise the ‘very calm and professional response from the emergency services’.
Shocked onlookers also took to Twitter to give their accounts:
Exhibition Road has been closed as the emergency services and police were called to the scene.
If you have any information about this incident, please call 101.
More follows.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.