A suspected car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, has left between 60 and 80 people injured, regional authorities reported on Friday.
NTV television footage showed emergency services rushing to assist the injured, with ambulances and fire engines swarming the area. Some victims were treated on the ground, while others were taken to hospitals. Cries and screams echoed through the festive market, which had been bustling with Christmas revellers before the incident.
“We presume it was an attack,” said a spokeswoman for Saxony-Anhalt’s interior ministry.
Reports suggest a black BMW sped through the crowd just after 7:00 pm local time (1800 GMT), turning the holiday scene into chaos.
The incident brought back memories of the 2016 attack in Berlin, where a Tunisian man drove a lorry into a Christmas market, killing 12 people. An additional victim later succumbed to injuries.
Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had recently urged vigilance at Christmas markets, although she noted there were no specific threats.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Magdeburg incident.
