A car drove into a group of people at a Christmas market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg on Friday, leaving at least one person dead and between 60 and 80 people injured.
The driver of the car, reported to be a dark BMW, was arrested following the crash which took place at 7:04pm today, according to unidentified government officials in the state of Saxony-Anhalt who spoke to the dpa news agency.
Bild reported that the car was driven ‘at least 400m (1,300ft) across the Christmas market’, per a police spokesperson.
According to emergency services, who have set up tents to immediately treat victims, several people were ‘severely’ injured.
Video footage too graphic to share appears to show the dark car careening into the dense crowd, leaving dozens of people lying on the floor.
Within seconds, countless revellers can be see fleeing for their lives in the wake of the crash.
Separate footage showed children crying loudly as several small crowds of people formed over those injured in the crash, in apparent attempts to help them.
One man who spoke to German newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung said the Christmas market has turned to ‘war-like conditions’, while another eyewitness told the newspaper that there were countless families in the ‘fairytale area’ of the market when the car crashed through the crowd.
Local police said on X that ‘extensive police operations are currently taking place’, adding that further reports will be made shortly.
The Magdeburg Christmas market is located on the Old Market, directly next to Magdeburg Town Hall near the River Elbe, and was closed by organisers following the incident.
Organisers have also asked people to leave the city centre. Neighbouring cities, including Halle, around 50 miles from Magdeburg, are preparing its hospitals to take on victims.
By Daily Mail
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