A woman who was killed when a van mounted a pavement in Aldwych in central London has been named as 20-year-old Aalia Mahomed.
She was pronounced dead at the scene near King’s College London at about noon on Tuesday morning.
In a statement issued through the Metropolitan police, her family described her as a “bright, kind and beautiful soul”.
Another woman aged 27 who was injured in the collision, remains in hospital in a serious conditions. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. A 23-year-old man was taken to hospital and has since been discharged.
The driver of dark grey Ford transit van was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. The 26-year-old man was arrested again while in custody on suspicion of drug driving offences. He has since been bailed as the police continue to investigate.
Ch Supt Thomas Naughton, of the Met’s roads and transport policing command, described it as a “complex investigation”.
He said: “Our team is continuing to establish the facts around this extremely upsetting incident. The investigation remains in the early stages and officers continue to gather CCTV and obtain witness statements from those at the scene.”
Police said the incident was not being treated as terror-related.
The statement from Mahomed’s family said: “Aalia was a bright, kind and beautiful soul, who brought joy and laughter to everyone. She was a ray of sunshine in our lives, and will be deeply missed by all her family and friends.
“Her light will always live on in our memories and her smile will be our strength as we get through this difficult time.”
Specialist liaison officers are supporting the family.
DCI Christina Jessah, urged the public against posting false theories online about the incident.
She said: “We are aware of inaccurate speculation online about this incident being terrorism-related. We ask the public to refrain from this speculation to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and avoid causing further suffering to the family.”