Students describes moment they saw King’s College London van crash

Students have spoken about the moment they saw the van crash at King’s College London on Tuesday.

Giaangiacomo, a 20-year-old King’s College student, said he was at the scene shortly after the incident happened this morning and that he saw CPR being carried out on one person.

He told The Express:  “It’s kind of weird because it’s a pedestrian area. Cars don’t transit on this [left] side, rather this right side.”

Giaangiacomo said he thinks the van either passed through bollards that were lowered down or “accelerated really fast” and passed through the grass at “high speed”.

Another witness described seeing the van exiting the university’s service yard before crashing through the security barrier, briefly airborne before colliding with the woman who had been sitting on a bench.

They told The Sun: “The iron gate collapsed as the van was coming out of the service yard.

“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.

“You could hear screams and people were running towards her to help. Another guy was injured by the actual gate coming down.”

Aalia Mahomed, a 20-year-old second-year physics and philosophy (BSc) student, has been identified as the victim of the van collision outside King’s College London on The Strand. The incident occurred around 11:40 AM on Tuesday.

She has been described as a “ray of sunshine” and a “beautiful soul” by her family in a statement released by the Met Police.

There were also two others injured in the crash.

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A 27-year-old woman was taken to the hospital after the incident and remains in serious condition. However, police have stated that her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

A 23-year-old man was also hospitalised but has since been discharged.

King’s College London confirmed one of the injured is a student.

The van driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. While in custody, he was further arrested on suspicion of drug driving offences.

The 26-year-old has since been released on bail with conditions as investigations continue.

The Metropolitan Police is appealing for information about the incident, and those who may be able to help are urged to contact officers on 101 or post @MetCC ref CAD 2771/18MARCH.

However, if you wish to remain 100 per cent anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you’re looking for support, you can contact King’s College London’s wellbeing team, or Grief Encounter here. 

Featured image via Google Maps