London, Thanasis Gavos

The woman and one of her two daughters who were victims of an oxidizing agent attack in south London on Wednesday night have likely suffered “life-changing” injuries; the police said.

An investigating officer said: “The woman, who is aged 31, and her two daughters, aged eight and three, remain in hospital. While neither’s condition is life-threatening, the woman’s and younger girl’s injuries could be life-changing. It may take time for the hospital staff to tell how serious the injuries are.”

A camera in the area recorded the incident. A man who is believed to have known the victims argues with the woman in the street. He then gets into a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the road and drives it at her, hitting her and dragging her for a few meters while the older daughter, outside the vehicle, screams.

The woman stands up and appears to be gesticulating in a rage, with eyewitnesses saying she was shouting that she couldn’t see and that her eyes were burning.

After a while the perpetrator gets out of the vehicle, opens the back door and violently pulls the younger girl who was sitting in the back. According to the witnesses, he violently hit the girl twice either on the car door or on the road.

The man ran off and police say they are looking for him as a “dangerous” offender.

A total of nine people suffered minor injuries except for the mother and the three-year-old girl.

Police say the incident happened use of corrosive alkaline substance.