At least one person has died after a car was driven into a group of pedestrians in the western German city of Mannheim – with a large police operation underway.
Several people have been “seriously injured” after the black SUV rammed into crowds, according to German police, with a witness telling Reuters they saw people lying on the ground and two being resuscitated.
People seen ‘lying on ground’; Germany latest
A suspect has been taken into custody, police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm added, warning people who live nearby to stay inside their homes.
The “incident” unfolded at around 12.15pm local time in a pedestrianised part of Mannheim’s Paradeplatz area on Monday, Mr Wilhelm said.
He added that police cannot yet specify how many people – or how seriously they were hurt.
“We can confirm that one perpetrator was arrested,” he said. “We can’t yet give information on whether there were further perpetrators.”
Pic: DPA/AP
Police described it as “a life-threatening deployment situation”, saying in an initial statement: “Currently, a police operation is taking place in the city center of Mannheim, in the area of Wasserturm/Plankenkopf.
“Police and rescuers are on the way. Further information is not yet available. In this context, there may be temporary traffic disruptions in the inner city.”
Mannheim University Hospital said it is prepared for a possible “mass casualty incident”, implementing its disaster and emergency plan, and increasing intensive care capacity, according to German news agency DPA.
A total of eight trauma teams have been made available – for both adults and children, according to the agency.
Mannheim is around 50 miles south of Frankfurt
“Postponable operations that had not yet begun were immediately removed from the operation plan in order to create additional operating capacity,” the hospital said in a statement.
Crowds have been gathering in cities across Germany, including its Rhineland region, for parades to mark the carnival season.
Police were on high alert after social media accounts connected to Islamic extremist groups called for attacks on events planned in Cologne and Nuremberg.
Today’s incident follows other similar ones in recent weeks, including a deadly car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg in December and another in Munich last month.
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