A woman has died and two others have been taken to hospital after a van mounted the pavement and struck multiple pedestrians on The Strand in central London, police have confirmed.

Emergency services raced to the scene at around 11:41am on Tuesday, following reports of a serious collision near King’s College London and Somerset House.

The Metropolitan Police said a woman in her 20s was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. A second pedestrian remains in hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, while another suffered minor injuries. A fourth person was treated on site and discharged.

A 26-year-old man, believed to be the van driver, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and driving while over the legal limit for a specified controlled drug. He remains in custody.

Photos from the scene showed a grey van with significant front-end damage behind a police cordon. Paramedics were seen treating victims on the ground as emergency crews worked to manage the chaos. A forensics tent has since been erected near the crash site.

A statement from the Met Police confirmed:

“Three pedestrians suffered injuries, with a woman in her twenties sadly pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the van was arrested and remains in custody. This incident is not being treated as terrorism-related.”

The London Ambulance Service said it sent ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, an incident response officer, a clinical team manager and London’s air ambulance to the scene.

“Despite our best efforts, one person died. Two were taken to hospital and another was discharged after treatment,” a spokesperson said.

The London Fire Brigade also attended, with two fire engines and 10 firefighters from Dowgate and Lambeth stations supporting other emergency services. The brigade confirmed their role in assisting at the scene and declared the incident over for them by 1:04pm.

The Strand remains closed westbound between Surrey Street and Waterloo Bridge. Several bus routes, including the 9 and 23, have been diverted.

Students at King’s College London described scenes of confusion and distress. Ali, a 28-year-old PhD student, said:

“At first I thought it was a protest because we get those outside campus. But then I saw stretchers. Knowing someone died is heartbreaking — we walk by that crossing every day.”

Witnesses described the van hitting a group of pedestrians, believed to include young women. Some were seen being comforted by police at the roadside.

Officers have appealed for any witnesses or those with dashcam footage to come forward.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 2771/18MAR, or via @MetCC on social media.