Schoolgirl, 15, dies after being stabbed 'in the neck with machete' after stepping off Croydon bus
Police at the scene in Croydon
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A young girl, 15, has died after being stabbed 'in the neck' with a machete after stepping off a school bus, the Metropolitan Police has reported.
Police confirmed an arrest has been made after a teenager was tracked in connection with the stabbing.
An eye-witness said that she saw a boy trying to give the girl flowers, but soon it turned into a violent argument which resulted in the machete being used on the 15-year-old girl.
"She then said something which made him flip, he became very violent and pulled out a long knife, like a sword or machete, and stabbed her," the eye-witness said.
Emergency services arrived on the scene to try and save the girl but she was later pronounced dead at 9:21am, 50 minutes after they arrived.
WATCH NOW: Lisa Hartle reports from Croydon
Footage circulating online showed multiple emergency vehicles at the scene, cutting off access to Wellesley Road.
The major road was shut northbound between the Whitgiff Centre and St Michael's Road due to a "police incident" just before 9am this morning.
Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain said of the arrested suspect: "At this early stage we believe that he may have known her.
"A crime scene will be in place for some time, and I am grateful for the cooperation of residents."
"Our immediate thoughts are with this young girl's family who are facing the most tragic of news. Our officers are with the girl's family to support them.
"I am in contact with the local community, who are clearly as concerned as we are about this tragic incident. I shall continue to update them throughout the day.
"My officers were immediately on scene to provide first aid and support paramedics."
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Footage online shows at least nine police cars and two ambulances on the road, outside the Whitgift Centre.
One person wrote: "Croydon little girl has been stabbed in the neck on the school run bus."
Another tweeted: "Young girl stabbed on a school bus outside the #WhitgiftCentre in #Croydon. Traffic is chaos with #WellesleyRoad Northbound closed but I think the main focus should be on the child who has been harmed. Praying she survives."
The exact circumstances of the incident remain unknown.
Wellesley Road has been closed northbound.
Police at the scene
As many as 16 buses have so far been diverted because of the incident.
A witness on the number 60 bus to Streatham Station, who didn't want to be named, told the Sun: "Someone attacked a young girl.
"The victim was a schoolgirl, she must only have been about secondary school age. She was wearing a green school uniform.
"When it happened everybody ran off the bus."