A car plowed into a crowd in Mannheim, southwest Germany, at midday on Monday, March 3, reports the German press. The car was on the Planken shopping street, was traveling at high speed and ended up in a pedestrian zone according to information from Bild. It is still too early to know if this was an accident or on the contrary a deliberate attack. “A suspect has been identified and arrested,” the German police said in a statement.
One person died and several others were injured by the passing car, some seriously, according to the initial assessment by the authorities. The German newspaper Bild reported a more serious and precise assessment of two dead and 25 injured, including 15 seriously injured. A police operation is underway and the German authorities have called on citizens to avoid the city center of Mannheim. “A large part of the urban area has been declared dangerous,” a police spokesman said on NTV, adding that it was a “life-threatening situation.” The population is asked to “stay at home,” he added, without wanting to specify the reasons for this alert.
The incident comes just over three weeks after the car-ramming attack that left two dead and around 30 injured in Munich, also in Germany, on February 13.
The incident occurred in Mannheim, the second largest city in Baden-Württemberg with more than 300,000 inhabitants, at 12:15 p.m. according to the police’s detailed sequence of events. A small black vehicle drove into a group of people in a pedestrian zone. The car continued on its way for 900 meters before stopping. An arrest was made, but the authorities have not given any details on the profile of the suspect arrested.
More information to come.
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15:04 – Emergency plan at the hospital and medical teams deployed
An emergency plan was put into effect at Mannheim University Hospital immediately after the tragedy, with eight trauma teams deployed to treat adults and children alike, Der Spiegel reported. “Operations that had not yet started and could be postponed were immediately removed from the schedule in order to create additional operational capacity,” the university hospital said. Psychological support is also to be provided.
14:55 – Testimony of a French student in Mannheim
German authorities have sent a “high danger” alert message to the phones of many people living in Mannheim. They have reported a “life-threatening situation” and urged everyone to get to safety and stay indoors. According to a French student in Mannheim, the police are present but passers-by are still walking around and not all areas around the scene of the accident are cordoned off. The University of Mannheim, located four streets south of the scene of the tragedy, is not cordoned off according to this witness. The student describes a “tense climate”, but does not mention any panic.
14:23 – Car driver arrested
“A suspect has been identified and arrested,” the police said in a statement. The individual is believed to be the driver of the car, the newspaper Bild reported. After the incident, all streets in the city centre were closed and all roads leading out of the city were being checked. A helicopter is also flying over Mannheim.
14:19 – A heavier toll according to the newspaper Bild
The German newspaper Bild reports a different, more serious toll. According to its information, two people were killed and 25 injured, 15 of them seriously.
14:15 – One dead and several injured according to German police
German police have released an initial report on the number of victims of the car that plowed into a crowd. The vehicle’s passage left one dead and several injured, according to initial figures.
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