Hsin-Yi Lo & Daniel Sexton
BBC News, South East
Oliver Whitfield-Miocic
BBC News, Margate
BBC
Police said the boy left the hospital on foot before the crash happened
A four-year-old boy died when he was hit by a bus after walking out of a hospital in Kent, police have said.
Police were called following a report of a crash outside the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate at about 16:00 BST on Thursday.
The boy has been named locally as Zaahir Jan.
He was taken inside the hospital but was confirmed dead a short while later. His next of kin has been informed.
Kent Police said the boy left the hospital on foot before the crash happened.
Eyewitness Gillian Murphy, a patient at the hospital who saw the incident unfold, told the BBC the boy’s mother was with another child at the time, and the scene was busy with cars when it happened.
Maddie Murphy
A four-year-old boy has died after he was hit by a bus outside QEQM hospital in Margate
Tracey Fletcher, chief executive of East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are very saddened by yesterday’s tragic incident and send our sincere condolences to the family.”
The bus, a white single decker vehicle, was travelling near the entrance to the A&E department, police added.
A spokesperson for the bus company Stagecoach said: “This is an ongoing investigation and we are currently co-operating with the police.”
Anyone who witnessed the crash, or who has CCTV and dashcam footage of the incident, is urged to contact the force.
