More than 200 people are believed to have been injured after a car ploughed into a bustling Christmas market
More than 200 people are believed to have been injured after a car ploughed into a bustling Christmas market
At least four people including a toddler have died and more than 200 are believed to have been injured after a car ploughed into a crowd at a bustling Christmas market in Germany. The horror incident took place on Friday evening at the Magdeburg market in Saxony-Anhalt, with current estimates indicating that at least 70 people are injured.
Matthias Schuppe, a regional government spokesperson, and Michael Reif, a city spokesperson, have expressed suspicions that the incident was intentional, though it remains unclear whether it is connected to terrorism. Authorities have detained the driver, a 50 year old man from Saudi Arabia.
Investigations are underway regarding a potential explosive device discovered inside the black BMW involved in the incident. German media outlets, including the public-service broadcaster ARD, report that the death toll has now climbed to four, with the number of injured surpassing 200, marking a significant rise from the initial count of over 60.
Reiner Haseloff, the regional governor of Saxony-Anhalt, commented: “This is a terrible event, particularly now in the days before Christmas.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared his sentiments, stating: “My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”
Magdeburg is a city of about 240,000 people, west of Berlin, that serves as Saxony-Anhalt’s capital. Friday’s attack came eight years after an Islamic extremist drove a truck into a crowded Christmas market in Berlin, killing 13 people and injuring many others. The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.
