Magdeburg market attack latest: Child among two dead with up to 80 injured after car ploughs into crowd in Germany
At least two people were killed and 15 are seriously injured, according to government officials
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Your support makes all the difference.A driver plowed a car into a busy outdoor Christmas market in eastern Germany, killing two people and injuring at least 68 others in what authorities suspect was a deliberate attack.
The suspect drove into Magdeburg Christmas market at around 7pm, when it was busy with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend.
At least two people were killed, including a toddler, and 68 were injured, including 15 who were hurt very seriously, according to government officials. It said 37 people had injuries of medium severity and 16 were lightly injured.
Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff said he couldn’t rule out further deaths because so many people were seriously injured. It was earlier reported that the death toll was 11 by German newspaper Bild.
The suspected driver of the car was arrested at the scene and has been named by local media as Taleb. A, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.
Pictures showed the vehicle severely damaged following the attack.
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was an attack.
Magdeburg, west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has about 240,000 inhabitants.
One person was killed and more than 50 injured, officials say
The deputy mayor of the Germany city of Magdeburg said that at least one person was killed and dozens were injured after a car plowed into a busy Christmas market in what authorities suspect was an attack. Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz said that more than 50 people were injured, German news agency dpa reported. Authorities say the driver of the car was arrested.
Watch: Paramedics carry away injured people from scene
Video from the scene
Hospitals preparing for mass casualty event
Magdeburg’s University Hospital said it was taking care of 10 to 20 patients but was preparing for more, dpa reported.
A spokesperson for the city of Magdeburg says all hospitals in the area are preparing for a “mass casualty event”, according to Reuters.
There is still no official word on deaths or injuries.
Car drove 400m into crowd - reports
The car was driven “at least 400 meters across the Christmas market” into the crowd, a police spokesman told German media.
At least 11 dead, says report
At least 11 people have been killed, German outlet Bild reported, citing their own information.
Scholz: reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about an incident in the city of Magdeburg.
“The reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Scholz wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Market-goers attempt to treat injured people
A video published by newspaper Bild showed people trying to help what appeared to be multiple injured victims at a crowded Christmas market.
“I estimate there are at least 20 ambulances here, a lot of firefighters, and I can see the police helicopter circling in the sky,” an MDR reporter said during a live broadcast, adding that there were a lot of armed police on site.
Eyewitnesses told MDR that the car drove straight into the crowd at the market, in the direction of the town hall.
Local officials issue statements
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate act.
Reif said there were “numerous injured” but didn’t give a precise figure.
“The pictures are terrible,” he said. “My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.”
Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and city spokesperson Michael Reif said they suspected it was a deliberate act.
Reif said there were “numerous injured” but didn’t give a precise figure.
“The pictures are terrible,” he said. “My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.”
‘Please let the emergency services do their job’, organisers say
Magedeburg’s Christmas Market warned people to avoid the area in a post on Instagram.
“Due to current circumstances, we advise you to avoid the Christmas market in Magdeburg! Please let the emergency services do their job and leave the market in an orderly manner.”