Collision near London museums injures 11, police not treating incident as terrorism

London police arrested a man Saturday after a car collision left several pedestrians injured near two major museums in the British capital, and later said they are not treating the incident as terror-related.

The collision occurred Saturday afternoon on Exhibition Road in South Kensington near the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum. A man was detained at the scene soon after and taken into custody, according to London's Metropolitan Police Service.

Although the investigation is ongoing, police believe a car mounted the pavement and collided with a number of pedestrians.

Police said the incident is a "road traffic collision" and is not being treated as a terror-related incident.

Peter McKenna, deputy director of operations for the London Ambulance Service, said 11 patients were treated, mostly for leg and head injuries, and nine of them were transported to the hospital.

"We sent multiple resources to the scene, including our hazardous area response team, ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and incident response officers," McKenna added.

The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, and the man who was arrested was among the wounded, according to the Metropolitan Police Service.

Massive crowds of families with young children were seen evacuating museums along Exhibition Road following the incident, as authorities cordoned off the area.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan released a statement on the incident, saying, "A number of people have been injured in an incident involving a car in Exhibition Road, South Kensington. A man has been detained by police."

Khan said details about the incident are still emerging and that he is in close contact with police and emergency services.

Police have asked people to avoid the area while the investigation is underway, the mayor said.