At least 14 people have been injured, several of them critically, after a car ploughed into a crowd in central Melbourne in what police described as a “deliberate act”.
In a terrifying incident during the pre-Christmas shopping rush, the white SUV rammed into a large number of pedestrians at high speed on the pavement outside Flinders Street railway station, one of the Australian city’s main transport hubs.
Police said the driver and another man were arrested and are in custody after what they believed “was a deliberate act”. Asked if the incident was terrorism-related, Victorian Police commander Russell Barrett said: “The motivations are unknown.”
Witnesses described “people flying everywhere” as the vehicle, which was travelling at a reported 60mph, “just mowed everybody down” at just after 4.45pm local time (5.45am GMT) on Thursday.
Others reported that the white Suzuki SUV, which is said to have had two men inside, appeared not to slow down before it crashed into a tram stop bollard.
The bearded driver of the SUV, who witnesses said was of Middle Eastern appearance, was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed following the crash.
Meanwhile, a second young man in jeans and a T-shirt could be seen being arrested by three police officers on the steps of the station, although it was unclear if he had been in the car.
Other images from the scene showed casualties being treated in the street by paramedics.
Earlier media reports suggested a total of 19 people had been injured.
Police said 14 people had been taken to hospital for treatment, including several who were described as being critically ill.
They included a pre-school aged boy with head injuries who was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
Source: The Telegraph
-Agencies
