At least 30 injured including children after car plows into crowd in Germany
24 February 2020, 16:45
At least 30 people including children have been injured after a car ploughed into a crowd in Germany.
The incident took place at a carnival parade in the western German town of Volkmarsen.
A man has been arrested but police have declined to say if the incident was an accident or a deliberate attack.
Local media reported that children were among the injured and witnesses claimed the motorist seemed to have deliberately driven his car into the crowd.
German tabloid Bild has reported that 30 people have been injured in the incident.
It also claims police had to protect the driver of the vehicle as he was arrested due to an angry crowd that gathered around the car.
It comes less than a week after a man shot dead 11 people, including himself, in a racially motivated attack in Germany.
The Mayor of Volkmarsen Hartmut Linnekugel and district administrator Dr Reinhard Kubat are also at the scene.
According to German website HNA, the city fire inspector and several firefighters were already at the scene attending the carnival when the incident took place.
The German police have set up a website for people to send pictures and videos of the incident. They have also asked people not to share images or video on social media in order to avoid speculation.
North Hesse Police's official Twitter account said: "We are on site with a large contingent.
"The investigation is ongoing. As soon as secure information is available, we will publish it here."
Video of the scene shows a silver Mercedes station wagon with local licence plates and hazard lights blinking.
Volkmarsen is a small town of around 6,000 residents in the federal state of Hesse.
Carnival celebrations take place in Germany every year before Ash Wednesday.
The festivities peak on Rose Monday with tens of thousands of people attending street parades with satirical or comical floats.
Police say they have cancelled any further celebrations as a precautionary measure.
