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S'pore student killed in London hit-and-run crash
By Liew Hanqing, Kimberly Spykerman & Jane Ng
A SINGAPOREAN student in London was killed after being hit by a vehicle and dragged almost 2km in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Miss Tan Mingwei, 20, a third-year medical undergraduate at Cambridge University, was found dead at about 2am near the Belsize Park Underground station in North London.
Miss Tan, a former student of Raffles Girls' School (RGS) and Raffles Junior College, received an A*Star National Science Scholarship in 2008 to read medicine.
She is the younger daughter of playwright and research fellow Tan Tarn How, 49, and his wife, a dentist. They have an older daughter. The distraught family declined comment.
Miss Tan is believed to have been hit by a vehicle near Hampstead's Royal Free Hospital. The motorist in the hit-and-run accident has yet to be found.
Some reports said the vehicle was a lorry while other witnesses said they saw a black saloon car braking suddenly in the area around the time of the accident.
A statement from New Scotland Yard appealing for witnesses said: 'It appears that the victim was dragged about a mile (1.6km) from where she was hit.'
It added: 'It is possible that the driver of the vehicle may not be aware that (he) hit anyone, but we would urge anyone in the area on foot or in a vehicle at the time of the incident to come forward.'
British media reported that the accident left a trail of blood and belongings from the spot where she was first hit to where her body was found.
A Daily Mail report said she was found 150m from a handbag containing her student identification, a wallet and a mobile phone. It said she was found outside the home of former French rugby international Thomas Castaignede.
An area around Belsize Park Underground station was cordoned off after the accident for most of Thursday evening.
The area is an affluent part of London and it is said that celebrities like actress Gwyneth Paltrow have homes there.
The statement said it appeared that the vehicle had travelled west up London's Pond Street, past the front of the Royal Free Hospital where it is believed Miss Tan was hit. The vehicle is believed to have then turned left into another road, travelling south.
A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ministry and Singapore's High Commission in London were in contact with the victim's family and were providing consular assistance.
Word of the tragedy spread just as Singapore students in Britain were returning from their summer holidays for the new academic year.
Friends of Miss Tan were shocked by the news.
A fellow medical student, who did not want to be named, said she found out from mutual friends yesterday: 'The last time I saw her was in Cambridge before the summer break. She was a really nice girl and fun to be with.'
Mr Craig Woodhead, vice-president of the Cambridge University Karate Club, of which Miss Tan was president, said he spoke to her last week and she had told him she would be going to Rome.
In Singapore, family friend Tricia Lim, 23, a teacher, said that Miss Tan had always wanted to be a dentist or a doctor.
'I remember her as a very bright girl with a lot of drive,' she said.
A former classmate from RGS, who declined to be named, added that Miss Tan was known for being 'brilliant, witty and acerbic with a devil-may-care attitude'.
Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, principal of Raffles Institution which now includes Raffles Junior College, said that the school was saddened by the news.
'She was a very bright, active, thoughtful and caring girl, and was very close to her JC classmates,' she said.
Teacher Daniel Koh, 36, her civics tutor during her JC years, said Miss Tan was a member of the school's archery club and medical society.
He remembered her as 'warm and unassuming' and said she took part in community service trips to Taiwan where she taught English to children.
Professor Adrian Dixon, master of Peterhouse College, where Miss Tan stayed in Cambridge, would confirm only that one of his students had been involved in an accident in London and that he was in touch with the police.
British media reported that flowers and cards had been placed at the spot where Miss Tan's body was found.
Forensic officers were said to be combing the area for clues to trace the movements of the hit-and-run vehicle, while helicopters took aerial photographs. Police were also examining CCTV footage from businesses and the local authority.
Mr Raja Rehman, who runs a launderette near the Underground station, told The Sun newspaper that the police were interested in a black saloon car.
He said: 'It was in an empty road, but it braked suddenly and stopped before carrying on again. The police told me it could be important.'
