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Two children in intensive care in Newcastle after car hits pedestrians

Two children are in intensive care after a car hit pedestrians outside a sports centre in Newcastle.

Six people, including three children, have been taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

A 42-year-old woman has been arrested following the incident outside the Westgate Sports Centre at about 9.14am.

Police say the incident is not believed to be terror-related and they are still trying to establish exactly what happened.

Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Darren Best said: "As it currently stands, two of the children are now in Paediatric Intensive Care and one adult is in the Trauma High Dependency Unit.

"The remaining injuries are believed to have serious but not life-threatening injuries."

Explaining more about the incident, ACC Best said: "At that time a large number of people were in the area celebrating the religious festival Eid that is held to mark the end of Ramadan.

"What we have established is that a 42-year-old female has been celebrating Eid with her family, she then got into her car and has collided with six people in the crowd.

"We have no information to suggest this is terror-related, however, this is a serious collision with multiple casualties and extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances around this tragic incident."

A spokesman for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We received our first 999 call at 9.15 this morning to report a car that had mounted the kerb.

"We have taken six people to hospital, they have gone to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, three children and three adults."

In a statement, the nearby Newcastle Central Mosque said the collision happened as people were leaving the mosque following Eid prayers.

It said: "Immediately after the Eid prayers, when the people were starting to leave the venue, a car collided with pedestrians.

"The injured were immediately attended to by the emergency medical services and the police. All the injured have been taken to the hospital.

"We pray and hope that all those affected recover soon fully."

Newcastle city councillor Dipu Ahad, who went to the scene, said people were distraught and in tears amid fears of a terror attack.

He said: "But it became clear this was a freak accident, accidents do happen. Hopefully there will be no fatalities and we as a community pray for those who were hurt in the incident."