Car ploughs into Berlin pride parade crowd, killing one and injuring sixteen

WEB DESK: A car crashed into a crowd during an LGBTQ Pride parade in Germany’s capital, Berlin, leaving one person dead and 16 others injured, with some reported to be in critical condition.

According to Reuters, the incident took place at around 10pm local time on Saturday, following which police cancelled the ongoing Pride event.

Initial investigations suggested that a white car struck several people in the city’s central Tiergarten Park, where the Pride march route passes, before crashing into a tree.

Berlin police said in a statement on social media platform X that at least 16 people were injured in the incident, some of whom were fighting for their lives. Authorities instructed participants to immediately leave the area.

Police said the vehicle was abandoned at the scene, while a large-scale search operation was launched to locate the suspected driver. Officers cordoned off the area between Potsdamer Platz and the southern section of the Tiergarten Tunnel to collect evidence, while emergency teams provided medical assistance to the injured.

On Sunday morning, police said they had identified a suspect but had not yet made an arrest. Police spokesperson Florian Nath said the suspect was already known to law enforcement authorities and was believed to have links with some “Islamist circles” in Berlin.

Authorities said the search for the suspect was ongoing, adding that it was too early to determine the motive behind the incident or provide further details about the suspect’s role.