The driver, a 40-year-old Hawthorn East woman, was arrested at the scene and remained in police custody for some time.
Her passenger, a primary school-aged child, was not injured in the crash.
Victoria Police released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday to say that she had been released pending further inquiries.
Early reports indicated the driver could have suffered a medical episode before crashing through a fence and into an outdoor table in the school grounds.
However, McEvoy said it was too early to determine whether a medical issue had played a role in the fatal crash, describing the scene as confronting.
“These events are always hard … but [are] especially difficult when there are children involved,” he said. “It appears it is a tragic accident.”
Aerial images of the scene show a white four-wheel drive with damage to the front passenger side inside the school grounds.
Horrified students, including those at the neighbouring Auburn High School, witnessed the aftermath of the incident. Nine News reported it happened during “third recess”.
The 4WD, which has a green P-plate on the windscreen, appears to have stopped metres from a sports field.
Police are yet to determine whether the driver had a full licence.
Early on Tuesday evening, police escorted journalists to the scene, where a white 4WD car could be seen between a gap in the fence, close to an outdoor table at which the children were believed to have been sitting.
The metal fence was crushed and buckled. Footage of the scene showed debris and what appeared to be children’s belongings scattered underneath a shade sail.
Later on Tuesday, detectives continued to inspect the car, and McEvoy said police would remain at the scene well into the evening collecting evidence.
“We’ll be here for as long as we need to be to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
He expected the investigation into the circumstances of the crash could take weeks or months.
Lucy, a parent at the school, said her son was standing close by when the car hit the children.
The mother, who did not disclose her last name, told radio station 3AW that most of the children were believed to be grade 5 pupils.
“This is really, every person’s worst nightmare,” she said. “I just really hope they are all OK.”
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She said she received a text message from the school alerting families about the incident.
She arrived at the school to find emotional parents hugging their distressed children and supporting each other.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said Burgess Street was normally quiet and drivers typically stuck to the speed limit.
However, the resident said during school pick-up, some parents used a median strip to perform U-turns outside the school, before driving back towards Tooronga Road.
A detective photographs the car after it ploughed through the fence at Auburn South Primary School.Credit: Joe Armao
“It’s not wide enough for a full U-turn,” the neighbour said. “There’s normally a three-point turn involved, or they pull into the driveways.”
Police set up roadblocks and cordoned off the area around the school after the crash, as shocked neighbours stood outside their homes in the hours after the incident.
Dozens of officers were seen walking in and out of the school gates before Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives arrived about 4pm.
Local business owner Guy, who did not disclose his last name, told ABC radio he had gone to the school to offer assistance after hearing about the crash. He described the scene as chaos.
“There were some kids that were very, very frightened,” he said.
Don Owen, who has lived in the area since the 1960s, said Burgess Street was usually quiet, although drivers had been known to speed along the street above the 40km/h limit.
A school crossing guard helped children cross Burgess Street outside the school in the mornings and afternoons, he said.
“It’s pretty quiet,” Owen said.
Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll said he was monitoring the tragedy and had asked the Department of Education to be on standby to provide whatever support was needed.
Police say the driver was doing a U-turn when she crashed through the school’s fence.Credit: Joe Armao
“I’ll be thinking of the whole school community in the days and weeks ahead,” Carroll wrote on social media platform X.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Opposition Leader John Pesutto, the member for Hawthorn, also expressed their condolences following the tragedy.
“Today should’ve been an unremarkable sunny Tuesday for the Auburn South Primary School community,” Allan wrote on X. “Instead, a dark shadow has been cast over our city and state.”
Pesutto described the incident as devastating and said his thoughts and condolences were with the local family who had lost a loved one.
Kooyong MP Monique Ryan visited the school on Tuesday, but declined to comment when approached by journalists.
She later issued a statement expressing her sorrow and sending her sympathy to the pupils, parents and staff.
“We are all so sorry and so saddened by this devastating tragedy,” she said. “As a community, I know we will come together to support each other.”
An aerial view of the scene.Credit: Joe Armao
Anyone who witnessed the incident, has dashcam/CCTV footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
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