A car has been driven into members of the public at a carnival in Germany.
At least 15 people were reported injured in Volkmarsen soon after the crash on Monday afternoon.
Police declined to say if was an accident or if the driver had deliberately rammed the car into the crowd.
A car has driven into members of the public at a carnival in Germany.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of this ongoing incident.
Ten people were injured on Monday after a car ploughed into a carnival parade in the western German town of Volkmarsen, police said, adding that the driver had been arrested.
Police declined to say it was an accident or a deliberate attack. German media reported that children were among the injured and cited witnesses saying the driver appeared to have deliberately driven his car into the crowd.
The incident comes less than a week after a gunman gunned down 11 people, including himself, in one of the worst racist attacks in Germany since World War Two.
Police have urged people not to spread "unconfirmed reports" about the the incident, which happened early Monday afternoon.
Volkmarsen is roughly in the middle of Germany – east of Cologne and south of Hanover. You can see its location here:
The regional Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported that witnesses said the driver drove around a barrier blocking off traffic from the parade, but that it wasn't yet clear whether he intentionally headed toward the crowd.
Video from the scene showed a silver Mercedes station wagon with local licence plates and with its hazard lights blinking on the pavement, while emergency crews walked by.
Here are some images taken as emergency services respond to the incident in Volkmarsen.
Images by: Elmar Schulten/Waldeckische Landeszeitung via Reuters.
The crash came amid the height of Germany's celebration of Carnival, with the biggest parades in Cologne, Duesseldorf and Mainz.
Several cities in western Germany cancelled their traditional Carnival parades at short notice on Sunday because of inclement weather.
Volkmarsen, which has a population of 7,000, is east of Duesseldorf, near Kassel.
Several cities in western Germany cancelled their traditional Carnival parades at short notice on Sunday because of inclement weather.
Volkmarsen, which has a population of 7,000, is east of Duesseldorf, near Kassel.
The Mayor of Volkmarsen , Hartmut Linnekugel, and district administrator Dr. Reinhard Kubat, are at the scene, according to German website HNA.
The city fire inspector and several firefighters were reportedly already at the scene attending the carnival parade when the incident began.
The city fire inspector and several firefighters were reportedly already at the scene attending the carnival parade when the incident began.
North Hesse Police asked anyone with images or video of the incident not to post them online as an information portal is being set up.
The force said in a tweet: "We know that there is a great desire for comprehensive information.
"However, we urge everyone who has pictures or videos from #Volkmarsen:
"Hold back on speculation; do not distribute any of these recordings.
"An information portal will be set up."
The force said in a tweet: "We know that there is a great desire for comprehensive information.
"However, we urge everyone who has pictures or videos from #Volkmarsen:
"Hold back on speculation; do not distribute any of these recordings.
"An information portal will be set up."
Cause of crash unclear
Police in have told dpa news agency that it is not yet clear whether the driver had suffered some sort of a medical episode, if there was a mechanical problem with the car or whether the vehicle was intentionally driven into the crowd.
A spokesperson added that no deaths have been reported.
Police in have told dpa news agency that it is not yet clear whether the driver had suffered some sort of a medical episode, if there was a mechanical problem with the car or whether the vehicle was intentionally driven into the crowd.
A spokesperson added that no deaths have been reported.
‘More than 30 injured’ in crash – local media reports
The number of injured people from the crash has risen sharply to more than 30, according to Germany’s Bild newspaper.
The newspaper has reported that about a third of those who have been hurt are seriously injured.
No fatalities have been reported at this time.
‘An attack cannot currently be ruled out’, state minister says
The German newspaper Die Welt has quoted a local state minister as saying authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the crash in Volkmarsen was a planned attack.
“Due to the situation on site, an attack cannot currently be ruled out,” the Hessian Ministry of the Interior said on Monday, according to the newspaper.
Driver is 29-year-old German citizen who acted intentionally, police spokesperson suggests
The driver of the car that crashed into a carnival parade in Volkmarsen was a 29-year-old German citizen, a police spokesperson has told local broadcaster Hessenschau.
The regional station said police had told reporters they had no immediate information about the man's motive, but believed he had acted intentionally.
Police believe car was deliberately driven into crowd
German police have said they believe that a car was deliberately driven into a carnival parade in Volkmarsen and the suspect is a local man, the Press Association has reported.
Exact number of injuries from crash cannot be confirmed, police say
German police have said they cannot confirm the exact number, or severity, of injuries from the car crash earlier today in Volkmarsen.
However, a statement from North Hesse Police has confirmed that some people have been seriously hurt and children are among the injured.
North Hesse Police has said they will release a joint statement with the Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office on the crash soon.
“The Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation,” a police statement said.
“In consultation with the Attorney General, we will shortly publish a joint press release.”
Police chief says 30 people injured, seven of them seriously
We have been getting a little bit more clarity on the number of injuries over the past hour.
Germany’s Der Spiegel newspaper has quoted Gerhard Bereswill, Frankfurt’s police chief, as saying there are 30 injuries from the crash, with seven of those people seriously injured.
The General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt is also said to be investigating an attempted homicide over the incident.
Police investigating ‘in all directions’ as motive of crash remains unknown
The General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt and the Hessian police have released a joint statement on the crash in Volkmarsen, confirming that about 30 people have been injured and the motive of the crime remains unknown.
The statement said:
The General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main and the Hessian police are investigating a 29-year-old German citizen from Volkmarsen who is urgently suspected of having driven into a group of people on February 24, 2020 at 2:45 pm during the Monday procession in Volkmarsen.
According to the current state of the investigation, around 30 people - some of them seriously - were injured as a result of the collision with the car. Children are among the injured.
The injured are currently being cared for in the surrounding hospitals.
The suspect was provisionally arrested by the police on site and is currently under medical treatment due to the injuries he suffered in connection with the damage event.
The accused should be brought before the investigating judge.
The investigation - especially on the background of the crime - is ongoing.
No information can currently be given on the motive in particular; it is determined in all directions.
The full statement (in German) can be found below:
There have also been reports in German media that the driver was heavily drunk at the time of the crash.
However, a spokesperson for Alexander Badle, Frankfurt’s prosecutor general, said they did not want to comment on possible alcohol or drug use by the driver when asked by reporters, according to Der Spiegel.
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