One person has been killed and 17 injured, with some in life-threatening condition, after a vehicle mowed down a crowd near Berlin’s Pride celebrations on Saturday evening, setting off a manhunt for the driver, the police and fire brigade said.
Hours after the apparent attack many details remained unclear, but police said the vehicle struck multiple people after charging into the city’s central Tiergarten park close to the Brandenburg Gate.
“According to our latest information, the vehicle drove … into the Tiergarten around 10 p.m. (2000 GMT), injuring several people in the process, and then came to a standstill after hitting a tree here in the Tiergarten,” a police spokesperson at the scene said.
“It was empty, which is why we are currently working intensively to track down the perpetrator or perpetrators.”
EIGHT SERIOUSLY INJURED
Among the 17 injured, eight had serious injuries and of those, three were in life-threatening condition, a fire brigade spokesperson said.
The police said the vehicle was white, describing it as possibly a car or minivan or minibus. Tabloid newspaper Bild cited a witness as saying it was a van and that a man emerged from it and fled on foot.
Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered peacefully in the German capital for the annual Christopher Street Day celebrations, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ events, before the apparent attack brought it to an abrupt end.
A large number of emergency service vehicles were at the scene.
“It’s one of the worst days for the queer community and a day I personally hoped I’d never have to experience … I’m shocked,” said Julian Methig, who attended the event.
Christopher Street Day draws hundreds of thousands of people to the German capital each year. The event commemorates the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York and combines a parade with political demands for equality, inclusion and protection against discrimination.
