LONDON (AP) — The Latest on a car that hit pedestrians outside of London’s Natural History Museum (all times local): 6:10 p.m. London police say a car crash that injured 11 people outside the Natural History Museum is a road
LONDON (AP) — The Latest on a car that hit pedestrians outside of London’s Natural History Museum (all times local):
6:10 p.m.
London police say a car crash that injured 11 people outside the Natural History Museum is a road traffic accident, not a terror attack.
Police made the statement Saturday afternoon nearly four hours after the car hit pedestrians in a crowded tourist area. One man was detained at the scene. He has not been charged.
The London Ambulance Service says nine people were hospitalized after the crash.
Britain has been on a “severe” terrorist threat level and a massive police response followed the traffic incident.
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5:55 p.m.
The London Ambulance Service says 11 people have been injured when a car crashed into pedestrians outside the Natural History Museum.
Deputy Director of Operations Peter McKenna said Saturday that nine of the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment, most with leg and head injuries.
The incident caused panic on the crowded street outside the museum on Saturday afternoon. Police have not said if it was related to terrorism. One man was detained at the scene.
McKenna said the service sent multiple resources including its hazardous response team to London’s museum district.
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5:40 p.m.
Workers in a cafe near London’s Natural History Museum say they fled the scene in panic after a car hit pedestrians in the street outside.
Marilin Mueller, 20, said she thought at first it was a traffic accident Saturday but that “loads of police cars” arrived shortly after. She says “all of these police came marching down saying, ‘Move, move.’ They said, ‘you need to evacuate.'”
Dieon Rurora said people were running down the street to get away and some fell over. He says “It was quite scary.”
Many shops in the museum district were evacuated and the museum was shut down as police tried to determine if there was a threat to the public. Police have not said if the car crash is related to terrorism.
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5:30 p.m.
A police forensics officer in blue coveralls is outside the Natural History Museum in London, taking photographs of the scene where a car hit pedestrians, injuring some people.
One woman was led away by a paramedic after Saturday’s crash, draped in a red blanket. She did not appear to be seriously injured.
One man has been detained in the crash. Officials have not released details about the severity and the number of the injuries. London police have also not said if this incident is related to terrorism.
The Victoria and Albert Museum next to the history museum remained opened Saturday afternoon despite the car crash.
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5:10 p.m.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has tweeted that “a number of people” have been injured in an incident involving a car in the city’s museum area.
He said “details are still emerging” about the incident Saturday and that he is in close contact with Assistant Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, who plays a lead role in the police’s counter-terrorism operation.
Officials have not released details about the severity and the number of the injuries.
London police have not said if this incident is related to terrorism.
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3:30 p.m.
British emergency services raced to London’s Natural History Museum after a car struck pedestrians Saturday outside the building. Police said a number of people were injured and one person was detained at the scene.
The crash happened at 2:20 p.m. on a day when the central London museum is usually teeming with pedestrians, including international tourists.
Photographs showed a dented silver car and a man being pinned to the ground outside the museum. Witness Katie Craine said she was coming out of the museum when she saw a man in handcuffs pinned down by police near a damaged car.
She says “he looked really proud of himself … he was laughing.”
British officials, however, have not classified the incident as a terrorist act.
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3:15 p.m
The London Ambulance Service was tending to the injured outside the Natural History Museum after a car hit pedestrians on the busy street in front of the museum. There was no immediate statement on the number or severity of the injuries.
Shopkeepers in the immediate area were told to evacuate and police established a large security cordon around the area minutes after the incident, closing some roads. Police helicopters circled the scene overhead.
Police said they are working to establish the circumstances of the crash and more information will be provided once details are clear.
The Natural History Museum tweeted that there had been a “serious incident” outside the museum, which is located near the world famous Victoria and Albert Museum and other attractions.
Downing Street said British Prime Minister Theresa May was being briefed on the incident.
