Car rams into crowd in Mannheim, Germany - At least one dead, several seriously injured

Car rams into crowd in Mannheim, Germany - At least one dead, several seriously injured

At least one person has been killed and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim, according to police.

Police spokesperson Stefan Wilhelm stated that on Monday, a car drove into a crowd in Paradeplatz, a large square in Mannheim. He said, "Several people have been injured, but we have not yet received detailed information about how many were hurt or the severity of their injuries."

"We can confirm that one suspect has been arrested," he added. However, he did not provide information on whether there were any additional suspects involved in the incident.

Paradeplatz, located in the city center, is a large square situated at the end of a pedestrian street. Mannheim has a population of about 326,000 and is located 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Frankfurt.

Mannheim University Hospital has stated that it is prepared to deal with a potential mass casualty situation. The hospital has activated its disaster and emergency plan to provide care for the injured.

The incident occurred just after a large street parade in Mannheim, which was the main event of the city’s annual carnival celebrations. Many people across Germany had taken a long weekend off to celebrate the carnival, including Rose Monday, when many cities hold parades.

Recently, violent incidents, including stabbings and car-ramming attacks, have increased across German cities. Last month, a man drove a car into a trade union protest in Munich, killing a two-year-old girl and her mother.

In December, a car-ramming attack targeted a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing six people and injuring hundreds.

The Mannheim incident occurred at a time when the country's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had stated that the celebrations were taking place with "high security measures." Following the incident, she canceled her planned visit to the Rose Monday parade in Cologne, according to a spokesperson for the minister.