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German carnival crash: Thirty-five people still in hospital after car ploughs into crowds

Emergency vehicles at the scene after a car ploughed into a carnival parade injuring several people in Volkmarsen: via REUTERS
Emergency vehicles at the scene after a car ploughed into a carnival parade injuring several people in Volkmarsen: via REUTERS

Thirty-five people, including 18 children, remain in hospital after a man drove his car into crowds at a carnival in central Germany, police have said.

Seventeen others have been treated and released as authorities continue to look for a motive behind the incident in Volkmarsen, near Kassel.

The driver, a 29-year-old German citizen who lived locally, was arrested at the scene and is being investigated on suspicion of attempted homicide.

Officials said they believe his actions were intentional.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after a car ploughed into a carnival parade in Germany (REUTERS)
Emergency services rushed to the scene after a car ploughed into a carnival parade in Germany (REUTERS)

Bild newspaper reported that the driver sustained serious head injuries in the crash and police have not yet been able to fully question him.

Chancellor Angela Merkel sent her condolences to those injured and wished them a speedy and full recovery. She also thanked police and medical personnel involved.

Emergency responders set up a makeshift clinic in a town pharmacy to treat casualties with minor injuries, the regional Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported.

Witnesses said the car drove around a barrier blocking off traffic from the parade, according to the paper.

Police and rescue workers stand next to the scene of the crash in Volkmarsen (AP)
Police and rescue workers stand next to the scene of the crash in Volkmarsen (AP)

Video from the scene showed a silver Mercedes with local number plates on the pavement, its front windscreen badly smashed and bonnet dented, and its hazard lights blinking, while emergency crews walked by.

Forensic experts could be seen taking photos and measurements around the car, walking around fragments of carnival costumes that littered the ground.

The crash came during the height of nationwide celebrations (AP)
The crash came during the height of nationwide celebrations (AP)

The crash came during the height of nationwide celebrations, with the biggest parades in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mainz.

All other carnival parades in the central state of Hesse were ended on Monday as a precaution.

The region is still reeling from a racist shooting last week in the Frankfurt suburb of Hanau. A 43-year-old man killed nine people with immigrant backgrounds late on Wednesday before killing his mother and then himself.