London: One person is feared dead and several others badly injured after a motorist drove a vehicle into a crowd of revellers at Berlin’s celebrated Pride parade, leading police to launch a manhunt for the suspected assailant.
Police ordered people to leave the area in central Berlin where thousands had gathered for the annual LGBTQ parade, as they launched their search for the driver of the vehicle.
“There are numerous injured, including several with life-threatening injuries. The manhunt for one or more suspects is underway,” Berlin Police said at 11.45pm on Saturday night in Berlin (7.45am on Sunday, AEST).
The NewsNGR reported that the driver had killed one person and injured at least 15. German news service Deutsche Welle also reported one person had died and 15 were injured, citing police statements.
Police said the white vehicle hit the victims at about 10pm in the Tiergarten in the German capital, where the parade has drawn crowds of supporters every year. A vehicle with heavy damage was found abandoned at the scene, and German newspaper Bild published photographs of a white van that had crashed into a tree.
The pride event in front of the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10.15pm local time (6.15am, AEST) and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the Tiergarten park.
Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours, dancing to loud music, and cheering the around 80 floats that participated in the parade. The event, known as the Christopher Street Day Pride parade, has been held since 1979.
Berlin mayor Kai Wegner described the incident as an attack on Germany’s free and open society.
“After a peaceful and colourful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way,” he said on X.
“Berlin is the city of freedom – and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today.
“My thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends. I thank the emergency services who were immediately on site and did everything in their power. And I trust the police and security authorities, who will investigate at full speed.”
With AP
David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
