A mother has been arrested after her eight-year-old daughter was found dead at their east London flat.
The 34-year old is being questioned at a police station today in connection with the death of the child.
Ambulance crews were called to reports of an injured child at the flat in Chadwell Heath at 11.31am yesterday.
A London Ambulance spokeswoman said the child was pronounced dead at the scene while they also treated a woman who was taken to hospital.
Witnesses describe a “hysterical” woman beling led away in floods of tears from the flat in Broomfield Road.
The woman was weeping and trembling as she got into a Ford Galaxy car with officials at around 12.30pm - just an hour after the girl’s body was found.
Scotland Yard said detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command were investigating.
A spokesman said “A 34-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with the incident. She remains in custody at an east London police station.”
Neighbours said the eight year-old girl moved into the flat which she shared with her mother and another woman - both described as British Asian - around four months ago and went to a local school.
The two women were described as “friendly” people who “kept themselves to themselves”.
Atik Molla, 39, said: "There were two women living at the flat and the girl and a boy around 6 years old who I think was the brother.
"We saw them quite a lot and they were always looking happy. We are very shocked by this they seemed like a normal family. I think the mother was originally from India or Pakistan."
Taxi driver Adeel Mushtaq, 31, who lives upstairs from the girl’s flat, said: “I set off for a job at around 11am and saw the woman having a smoke at the back of the flat.
“I was just passing by and she seemed perfectly fine. She said hello.
“Then I arrived back at around 12.30 and saw police vans and officers. I saw her crying. She was hysterical and trembling.
“She was getting into an unmarked car, it looked like a Ford Galaxy. Some plain clothed officials were leading her into it - it looked like they were police - one woman was propping her up as she got in.
“She was crying, just weeping. She wasn’t saying anything. Then they just drove away.
“When I came in I saw police were in her flat and I found out the girl was dead.
“It’s so shocking, just awful.”
Neighbours left flowers to the girl outside the door of their home today.
