Child ‘seriously burnt’ in church carol service

A young boy is in a critical condition in hospital after being seriously burnt during a school Christmas carol event in south London.

The child, who is between the ages of seven and 10, is believed to have been injured by a falling candle during the incident, a witness told The Sun.

He is said to be in a critical but stable condition in hospital after being airlifted from the scene at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church on Bingham Road, Croydon, on Wednesday afternoon.

A man and a woman who reportedly tried to help the youngster were also taken to hospital by land ambulance to be treated for burn injuries.

The boy was attending a carol service with pupils from St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School, which is less than a mile from the church.

The school is expected to release a statement on Thursday.

A bystander described seeing a group of schoolchildren still dressed in nativity costumes being led out of the church, MyLondon reported.

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade told The Independent it had a team investigating the incident alongside the Metropolitan Police Service.

However, she gave no other details and did not confirm the cause of the fire.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has also been informed and an investigation will be opened by either the government agency or Croydon Council.

An HSE spokesperson said: “HSE has been informed by the emergency services, who have led the initial response. We will liaise with the local authority to establish which agency is best placed to take this forward.”

A spokesperson for the London Ambulance Service said: “We treated three people at the scene for burns including a child, a man and a woman.

“We took the child to hospital by air. We also took the man and the woman to hospital by road.”

The Metropolitan Police said the boy was reported to have suffered the injuries during a Christmas event.

A spokesperson added: “The child has been taken to hospital, his next of kin have been informed.

“Enquiries continue.”

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