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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Independent staff and agencies

Manchester crash: 21-year-old man arrested after BMW ploughs into five pedestrians in Trafford

Emergency services at the scene of the hit-and-run in Trafford Park on Thursday night ( Paul Warburton/PA )

A 21-year-old man has been arrested after a BMW hit and seriously injured five people in Manchester.

The car ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians near a roundabout in Trafford Park at around 9.50pm on Thursday evening.

It failed to stop at the scene and a blue BMW 330D, which has a top speed of 149mph, was later found abandoned in the Salford area.

The suspect is now being questioned on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a collision. 

Witnesses described the victims "flying into the air" as the car drove through them without stopping.

"I heard the dog yelping and running round, loads of people ran over to attend to the injured," Ryan Currie, 23, of Didsbury, told the Press Association.

"A huge crowd gathered round, ringing ambulances and police."

Two women and a man, all in their 20s were taken to Salford Royal Hospital, while a woman and a man, both in their 30s, were taken to the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

All were described as being in a serious condition by the North West Ambulance Service.

A sixth person later attended hospital with injuries not thought to be serious.

The police cordon was still in place on Friday morning at the scene in Europa Way, where a number of trainers could be seen lying in the road and on the pavement.

Local residents claim that the Trafford Park industrial estate is well known for meetings of "boy racers" watched by dozens of spectators.

One wrote on Twitter: "That roundabout is a magnet for little boys in fast cars."

Greater Manchester Police said there was no evidence to suggest the incident was terror-related and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

Chief superintendent Jo Rogerson said: "We now have a man in custody and we will be questioning him under caution as part of our investigation.

"This is an extremely serious incident that we are dealing with and I cannot stress the importance of people contacting us if they know something.

"Any information, no matter how insignificant people think it may be, could be the piece that we need so please, call us."

The Press Association contributed to this report.

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