In what authorities described as a suspected attack, a car drove through a packed Christmas market in eastern Germany on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring 68 more.
A vehicle was seen rushing past a sizable crowd of shoppers in a brief video of the incident that was geolocated to the eastern German city of Magdeburg and posted on X. While others rush to safety, several are run over. Before turning right out of the camera’s line of sight, the car sprints straight ahead.
According to the city of Magdeburg’s Facebook page, 68 people were hurt, 15 of them were listed as being in critical condition, and at least one person had been killed. Up to 80 individuals were hurt, according to earlier reports from the news agency AFP.
According to Reuters, a Magdeburg city official referred to the occurrence as a “attack.” According to the speaker, numerous individuals were hurt, and local hospitals were getting ready for a mass casualty incident.
“The Magdeburg Christmas market is currently the scene of intense police operations. “The city center’s Christmas market is closed,” the police posted on X. In order for those impacted to get in touch with their family, police also established a hotline.
According to the German news agency dpa, the car’s driver was taken into custody, as reported by Reuters.
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, forewarned of a challenging future.
Scholz wrote, “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” in a message across X. “We support the Magdeburg community and stand by them. I want to express my gratitude to the hardworking rescuers during these stressful times.
In a post on X, Germany’s deputy chancellor Robert Habeck bemoaned the occurrence and called it “dreadful news.”
A vehicle crashed into a Berlin Christmas market in 2016, killing at least 12 people and injured dozens more in a disturbingly identical occurrence.
As a precaution and in reaction to the event in Germany, police in New York City have stepped up security at holiday markets, a senior NYPD official told NBC News on Friday.
More resources will be dispatched to various festive markets and prominent sites throughout the city. According to the official, there has been no specific local threat, but there have been threats to some markets abroad.
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