Man questioned after child killed by car on pitch
A man is being questioned over the death of one child and injuries to another who were hit by a car which crashed through a fence and on to a sports pitch.
The pair were struck at Kendal rugby club at about 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, Cumbria Police said.
The male driver, who is aged in his 40s, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Tim Farron, the MP for the area, described the crash as "devastating, utterly heartbreaking news", adding: "Our community in Kendal is stunned and in mourning."
There was a police presence at the rugby club into the night, with officers saying the car involved was a black BMW i40.
The Reverend Canon Shanthi Thompson, from Kendal Parish Church, said a moment of silence was held after its Ash Wednesday service "because it's so hard to find the words to say at a time like this".
"Kendal is a very close community and many, many people will have links to the rugby club and people will know the children involved," she told BBC Radio Cumbria.
At the scene
Jennie Dennett, BBC Radio Cumbria
The sunrise here is lighting the frosty pitch and the very wrong sight of two buckled fence panels that are pitchside, opposite the clubhouse car park.
The green panels have bent right over in front of the drop down to the pitch and there is blue and white police tape across the gap in the fence.
It's an indication of the awful consequences of yesterday's crash.
Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Child dies after being hit by car on sports pitch
Cumbria Police
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine says 'massive' Russia drone attacks hit Kyiv, Odesa
Russia carried out "massive" drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa early Tuesday, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kiev, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. - Prisoner swap - Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for release all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 -- a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Yermak said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Moscow's demands as "ultimatums". bur-dhw/tym
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine says 'massive' Russia drone attacks hit Kyiv, Odesa
Russia carried out "massive" drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa early Tuesday, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Moscow has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa on Tuesday, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kiev, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. - Prisoner swap - Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for release all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 -- a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming POW exchanges, Zelensky said last week said it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation -- who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" -- since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Yermak said on Tuesday, in a thinly veiled criticism of the Trump administration. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Moscow claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Kyiv and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal of from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Moscow's demands as "ultimatums". bur-dhw/tym
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Seized Gaza aid boat Madleen carrying Greta Thunberg taken to Israeli port
A Gaza-bound aid boat illegally seized in international waters by Israeli forces has been towed into Ashdod Port, with the dozen international activists who were on board now facing detention and deportation. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which launched the ship to draw international attention to the looming famine in besieged Gaza, said it was captured at about 4:02am (01:02 GMT) on Monday, about 200km (120 miles) from Gaza, arriving at Ashdod as night fell. Earlier, the coalition released a video from the vessel, which left Sicily on June 1, showing the activists – among whom are climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and French member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan – with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel and 'kidnapped' them. Adalah, a Palestinian legal centre representing the activists, said they were expected to be held at a detention facility before being deported. It said that Israel had 'no legal authority' to take over the ship, which was in international waters, heading not to Israel but to the 'territorial waters of the State of Palestine'. The arrests of the 12 'unarmed activists' amounted to 'a serious breach of international law', it said in a statement. Huwaida Arraf, an FFC organiser, told Al Jazeera there had been no contact with the activists since they had been detained in the early hours of Monday. 'We have lawyers on standby who are going to demand they have access to them tonight – as soon as possible,' she said. The Madleen, she noted, was sailing under a United Kingdom flag when it was forcibly seized by Israeli commandos. 'So Israel went into international waters and attacked sovereign UK territory, which is blatantly unlawful. And we expect strong condemnation, which we have not yet heard from the United Kingdom,' she UK government urged Israel to handle its detention of the activists 'safely with restraint, in line with international humanitarian law'. 'We have made clear our position in relation to the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The PM has called it appalling and intolerable,' said a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, said: 'Israel has absolutely no authority to intercept and stop a boat like this, which carries humanitarian aid, and more than everything else, humanity, to the people of Gaza.' Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Jordan's capital Amman, said the activists would be accused of entering Israel illegally. 'These activists had no intention to enter Israel. They wanted to reach the shores of Gaza, which are not part of Israel,' she said. 'But that is how they will be processed, and they will be deported because of that.'Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in a post on X that 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel'. It said the passengers were 'undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health', adding that all passengers were expected to return to their home countries. Government spokesperson David Mencer reserved special scorn for 22-year-old Thunberg. 'Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself. And she's not here for Gaza, let's be blunt about it. She's here for Greta,' he said. In a prerecorded video message that was shared by the FFC, Thunberg said: 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible.' The Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with Israeli authorities. 'Should the need for consular support arise, the Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assess how we can best help the Swedish citizen/Greta Thunberg resolve her situation,' said a spokesperson in a written statement to the Reuters news agency. United States President Donald Trump, who targeted Thunberg in 2019, dismissed her statement. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said. French President Emmanuel Macron's office said the president had asked Israeli authorities to release the six French nationals on board as soon as possible, calling the humanitarian blockade of Gaza 'a scandal' and a 'disgrace'. Turkey condemned the interception as a 'heinous attack', while Iran denounced it as 'a form of piracy' in international waters. Israeli Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel. Hamas condemned the seizure of the boat as 'state terrorism' and said it saluted its activists. On the ground in Gaza, Israeli forces continued their onslaught, killing 60 Palestinians since dawn, according to medical sources who spoke to Al Jazeera. Among them were three medics, killed in Gaza City, as well as 13 hungry aid seekers, killed near an Israeli- and US-backed aid distribution site in southern Gaza. More than 130 people have been killed near distribution points run by the shadowy Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May. Israel engaged the group to distribute aid amid its total blockade on all imports, including food, fuel and medicine, as Israel ramped up its offensive after breaking its ceasefire agreement with Hamas in United Nations and other aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and suggesting the group has been formed to enable Israel to achieve its stated military objective of taking over all of Gaza. 'Israeli authorities have blocked the delivery of safe and dignified aid at scale to the people of Gaza for over three months now,' said the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, on Monday. 'We are not asking for the impossible. Allow us to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,' it said. On Monday, Israeli aircraft also bombed tents sheltering displaced families in al-Katiba square in Gaza City, causing additional deaths and injuries. They also targeted the Shaarawi and Haddad buildings in the Tuffah neighbourhood, east of Gaza City, resulting in multiple casualties. At least one person was killed and others injured in an artillery attack on Old Gaza Street in Jabalia, in the north. Israel has killed at least 54,927 people in Gaza since the start of the war, a figure estimated to be far lower than the actual death toll.
