A ten-year-old girl died under a lorry at a busy junction in south-east London as she walked to school.

Witnesses said Latoya Smith was crushed at the junction of East Dulwich Road and Peckham Rye, just after 8am yesterday. Traffic signals there have been out of operation for weeks as roadworks are carried out.

Latoya had been walking with two friends aged eight and 12. She died of her injuries in hospital soon after.

Matthew Page, 42, an estate agent opposite the scene, said: “It was awful. The way the roadworks are, it was an accident waiting to happen. I heard a bang. She'd been under the wheels of a 60-tonne truck and had no chance. She was lying in the road bleeding, moving but not conscious.”

The lorry driver, 44, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and is in custody.

Anyone with information should call police on 020 8285 1574.

Source: This is London