Friends and family of a student who died after being hit by a van near her university campus have held a vigil in her memory.

Aalia Mahomed, who was studying for a BSc in physics and philosophy at King’s College London, was pronounced dead after the crash on the Strand last Tuesday.

One week on from her death, dozens of people gathered at the scene to pay tribute to the 20-year-old, many of them wearing her favourite colour, green.

Ms Mahomed’s brother, Zain, spoke at the vigil and said: “I would give anything for one more day with her.

“She will never get to be the cool aunt or that cat lady she joked about being. She was a hero, my hero.”

Shivanjaly Varathan, who went to school with Ms Mahomed, described her as being “so full of life, it was infectious”, while another school friend, Aleena George, said: “She had the best smile. When I think of her, she has that smile.”

Janelle De Sagun, a friend from sixth form, said in a speech at the vigil: “Thank you for letting me be your friend. It wasn’t hard to get to know you at all.

“I admired you then, I admire you now.”

Speaking later, she added: “I really looked up to her. I was like a puppy that followed her.

“She had this kindness and warmth that was contagious.”

Another of Ms Mahomed’s friends, Joseph Knight, said at the vigil: “Words are simply not sufficient to describe what Aalia meant to us.”

After the vigil, friends and family were taken to a King’s College site where the university’s a capella choir sang in her memory.

Others gathered to lay flowers and write memorial notes.

Ezra Rodriques, an Ancaster Group sales adviser who would often speak to Ms Mahomed and her brother Zain at the dealership where he worked, said: “She was always a bundle of joy. I never saw her upset. She was always just cheerful.

“She would always be smiling and joking. She was easy to talk to.”

In a statement released through the police after her death, Ms Mahomed’s family described her as a “bright, kind and beautiful soul, who brought joy and laughter to everyone”.

“She was a ray of sunshine in our lives, and will be deeply missed by all her family and friends,” they said.

“Her light will always live on in our memories and her smile will be our strength as we get through this difficult time.”

A 26-year-old van driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and drug-driving offences and has been bailed as investigations continue.