Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League victory parade was marred on Monday evening after a vehicle struck pedestrians in the city centre, injuring nearly 50 people, including four young children.
A 53-year-old British man, believed to be the driver of the minivan and whose name has not been released in the interests of the investigation, was arrested at the scene on Water Street in the heart of the city, a few dozen metres from the town hall. Scenes of jubilation with thousands of Liverpool fans lining the streets to celebrate their club’s victory quickly gave way to scenes of fear and confusion.
Emergency services arrived at the scene of the tragedy at around 6 p.m. Twenty-seven people were taken to hospital and 20 more were treated at the scene. Four of the injured, including a child, were trapped under a minivan, and rescuers had to lift the vehicle to free them. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but two of those taken to hospital, including one child, suffered serious injuries and are in critical condition.
The arrested driver is believed to have been the only person involved in the incident, and the incident is not being investigated as a terrorist act, police said. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the scenes of the tragedy were “horrific.”
The media are reporting shocking eyewitness accounts of the incident, with witnesses unanimously saying that the perpetrator acted deliberately, trying to injure as many people as possible. Les Winsper, 55, who witnessed the incident, said people started banging on the windows of the car that crashed into the crowd and stopped. They smashed the car windows trying to get to the driver, but he panicked and pressed the accelerator, continuing to hit people in reverse.
Police said they were conducting an extensive investigation to determine what led to the collision and asked people not to speculate or share “disturbing content online.”
