A TWO-YEAR-OLD girl has died after suffering a cardiac arrest at a children's nursery in Chigwell.

The nursery this afternoon said it believed the death appeared to have been the result of a "freak playground accident".

A police spokesman said the death was being treated as "unexplained".

London Ambulance Service was called at 11.01am while Essex Police said it was alerted to the incident at Eton Manor Children's Day Nursery in Roding Lane at 11.15am.

Four ambulance vehicles - two fast response cars and an ambulance from the London Ambulance Service and a fast response car from the East of England Ambulance Service - were sent to the incident.

An Essex Police spokesman said that despite the best efforts of paramedics and staff at Whipps Cross Hospital, Leytonstone, attempts to revive her failed and the girl was certified dead at 11.41am.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Staff treated a two-year-old girl who had gone into cardiac arrest. Extensive efforts were made to resuscitate the patient both on the scene and on the way to Whipps Cross Hospital where the patient was taken as a priority."

Essex Police spokesman Kim Perks said: "It's routine for the police to be involved in an unexplained death.

"We will obviously be liaising with the nursery and any other agencies that need to be involved to find out what happened."

The girl's parents are understood to be at the hospital.

In a statement, the nursery said: "Our thoughts are with the child's family at this terrible time. We are obviously co-operating fully with the Essex Police investigation. While we don't want to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation this appears to have been a freak playground accident.

"At the request of the police we have not spoken to the members of staff who were in the play area at the time of the incident. We cannot offer further information on the incident at this stage.

"It is a position of great privilege and responsibility to care for children and the safety and security of those children is of the utmost importance to us. We have informed the families of the other children at Eton Manor of this incident and the nursery is closing as a mark of respect and to facilitate the investigation.

"We are offering counselling to all of those impacted by this tragedy."