Twelve people have been killed and at least 48 more are injured, many seriously, after an articulated truck ploughed through crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin last night.
The incident, which police have described as deliberate, happened at approximately 9pm local time on Breitscheidplatz in west central Berlin, where revellers were enjoying mulled wine outside the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church. The driver of the vehicle has been detained.
One witness told CNN that the truck did not slow down as it approached crowds of people, including children, at the market, travelling at around 40mph through the crowded area.
Tourist Emma Rushton, who narrowly escaped injury, told BBC News:
“We were waiting, looking around at the lights and waiting to go back to the hotel when we heard an almighty bang.
“We looked around and saw lights being torn down by a bus and the huts in front of us… were completely crushed.”
“It was about eight, 10ft in front of us, and had we left two minutes earlier we would have been right in the path of it.”
Investigators have said they now assume that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd. This morning, special forced raided a refugee centre in the city, while local media suggests the arrested suspect is from Afghanistan or Pakistan and may have entered Germany as a refugee.
Berlin Police have opened a phone line for people concerned about this evening’s incident: +49(0)305402311 https://t.co/8myLYsdedP
— IrelandEmbassyBerlin (@irlembberlin) December 19, 2016
“All police measures related to the suspected terrorist attack at Breitscheidplatz are progressing at full steam and with the necessary diligence,” they revealed on Twitter.
The German Foreign Minister has issued a statement offering condolences to the victims and their families.
This incident has evoked memories of the truck attack on the Bastille day crowds in Nice, France last July in which 86 people where killed.
Anyone concerned about relatives or friends in Berlin can call 01-4082000.
Main image: Getty Images
