Police hunt driver after car ploughs into Paris restaurant leaving one dead and six injured

One dead and three in critical state, with the driver fleeing the scene

Police officers stand at the scene after a car hit people sitting on a terrace in front of a restaurant in Paris (REUTERS)

One person has died and another six people have been injured after a car ploughed into a restaurant terrace in Paris.

Local police said three of the six injured people are in a “critical state” after the vehicle drove into them at 7.30pm on the Avenue du Père-Lachaise on Wednesday.

French Police said that the driver had fled the scene, while a passenger, who was arrested, tested positive for alcohol and other drugs.

The passenger was not among the casualties.

The cause of the accident in the city’s 20th arrondissement is currently not known.

It comes as France is on high security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics, which begin on 26 July.

More follows on this breaking news story...

Contact The Independent’s news desk at athena.stavrou@independent.co.uk