WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR
- White SUV car driven at pedestrians in central Melbourne, Australia, near train station, in ‘deliberate act’, police said
- 15 injured, with 13 taken to hospital, including a pre-school aged child with head injury
- Two people have been arrested, including the driver of the car
- Witnesses describe horror scenes, including bodies flying and the rush to help those struck down
Two men have been arrested after multiple pedestrians were hit by a vehicle on a busy city centre street in Melbourne, Australia, in a “deliberate act”, police have said.
Pictures on social media show people injured and receiving help from emergency services as witnesses describe horrific scenes including “people flying everywhere” as they were hit.
In a statement, police said: “The driver of the vehicle and a second man have been arrested and are in police custody.”
Speaking to media, police described the incident as a “deliberate act” adding that the motivation of those involved was not yet known.
Commander Russell Barrett said: “At this stage we believe that this is a deliberate act. However, we do not know the motivation and it is still early stages of the investigation.
“Police and emergency services will remain on scene for the foreseeable future.”
Photos showed a white four wheel drive with damage to its front. A person claiming to be a witness called radio station 3AW, saying there were “five to seven people laying on the ground” following the crash.
Another 3AW called claimed the car “just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere”, HuffPost Australia reported.
One witness said of the driver: “The only thing slowing him down was him hitting pedestrians.”
The incident began at 4.30pm local time (5.30am GMT).
“A crime scene has been established and all vehicular and pedestrian traffic are advised to avoid the area,” police added.
Police said the driver and a second man had been arrested. They appealed for witnesses to go to a police station.
A picture has emerged of the moment a man was arrested nearby, after the initial vehicle incident.
All vehicle and pedestrian traffic has been advised to avoid the area on the city’s busy Flinders Street.
It was reported 13 people have been taken to hospital with injuries, including a child with head wounds.
Two more people are being assessed at the scene, the ambulance service said.
Police in Australia’s second-largest city did not give any possible motive for the incident, which had chilling echoes of a similar case when four people were killed and more than 20 injured in the same city in January.
Investigators said the January incident was not terror-related, although it led to Melbourne and other cities ramping up security measures in pedestrian areas in major cities.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Check back for the fullest version. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.
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