Several people were injured on Monday when a car ploughed into football fans celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title victory while police said a 53-year-old man had been arrested.
An AFP journalist in Liverpool saw at least four people taken away on stretchers, after witnesses reported seeing people knocked by a dark-coloured vehicle swerving through the huge crowds.
It was not immediately clear how many people had been hurt. But tens of thousands of people turned out in torrential rain for the jubilant celebrations to see the northwest English side’s victory parade, involving players on an open-topped bus and fireworks.
The bus carrying the team had passed by on Water Street just minutes before the car rammed the crowd, witnesses told media.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, near Birmingham, central England, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters.
“Initially we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of the car,” he told reporters.
“It was horrible and you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”
Other witnesses reported hearing screams and seeing an angry crowd surround the vehicle before police arrived.
Merseyside Police called for calm and said the arrested man was “a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area”.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision,” a spokesperson added, urging the public not to speculate on the circumstances of the collision.
Cordons were put in place and ambulances and a fire engine were also at the scene, with the injured being treated on the street.
– ‘Appalling’ –
North West Ambulance Service said its crews were “assessing the situation” with other emergency services.
“Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible,” a statement read.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes in Liverpool “appalling”. “My thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” he wrote on X.
“I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” he added.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
Liverpool had been a sea of red as hundreds of thousands of supporters packed the city’s streets, on a national holiday day, to celebrate winning the Premier League title with Arne Slot’s successful squad.
Star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk led the festivities alongside their team-mates on the top deck of the bus.
Plumes of red smoke from flares had filled the air as the players took four hours to cover the 10-mile (16-kilometre) route.
A record-equalling 20th English top-flight title was secured nearly a month ago as Slot’s men wrapped up the Premier League with four games to spare.
However, they were only presented with the trophy after Sunday’s final match against Crystal Palace.
Despite Liverpool’s storied history, the club’s fanbase had been waiting 35 years to collectively celebrate a league title.
When Jurgen Klopp’s side ended a 30-year drought without winning the league in 2020, there was no parade due to coronavirus restrictions.
Liverpool’s football history has been marked by tragedy.
In 1989, 97 Liverpool fans died in a crush at a game in the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield.
More than 760 people were also injured in the deadliest disaster in British sporting history, which still scars the port city.
In 1985, 39 mainly Italian fans were killed when a wall collapsed amidst disturbances between Liverpool and Juventus fans at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.
The club said in a brief statement that it was in direct contact with police, adding: “Our thoughts are prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident.”
By Agencies
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