A truck has plowed into crowds at the Christmas market in the German capital of Berlin, killing at least 12 people and injuring more than 50 others, local officials and witnesses say. A terror attack is suspected.
The attack happened at about 8 p.m. local time on Monday when the truck plowed into the Christmas market on Breitscheidplatz, which is located in western Berlin. Multiple stalls at the market were damaged by the truck.
Scores of people were visiting the Christmas market when the attack occurred and casualty figures remain preliminary. At least 12 people have been confirmed dead and 48 others are injured, including some who are in a critical condition.
Specific details about the circumstances of the incident were not immediately known, but police told the German news agency dpa that it is treating it as a suspected attack. Berlin police has urged residents to “stay at home” and to not spread any rumors.
Police spokesman Winfrid Wenzel said that a person, suspected to be the truck driver, has been taken into custody near the Christmas market. A second occupant of the truck was found dead at the scene, though there is no information about the cause of that person’s death.
The incident appears similar to an attack that happened in July in the French city of Nice, where a cargo truck deliberately plowed into large crowds at the Promenade des Anglais, where thousands of people were attending a fireworks show to mark France’s National Day.
A total of 86 people were killed in the attack in Nice and about 300 others were injured, making it France’s worst attack since the Paris attacks in November 2015. The attack in Nice was carried out on behalf of the Islamic State group (ISIS).
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