728x90 AdSpace

  • Latest News

    Monday, December 19, 2016

    Death toll rises to 12 after truck crash at Berlin Christmas market



    The authorities had previously said that at least nine people were killed when the vehicle tore through tables and wooden stands outside the popular market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.
    Police say 48 people were injured, some of them seriously, and taken to hospital.
    The Christmas market was filled with a mix of tourists and locals when the large Scania truck hurtled into it. Germany's most senior security official said initial evidence pointed to an intentional act, and the White House condemned "what appears to have been a terrorist attack".
    Police said a suspect believed to be the driver was arrested nearby and a passenger died as paramedics were treating him. Police later said that the man was a Polish national.
    Mike Fox, visiting from Birmingham, England, told The Associated Press that the truck missed him by about three metres. He said he helped people who appeared to have broken limbs, and that others were trapped under Christmas stands.
    He said: "You do what you can to help who you can, really. It happened so fast that there was nothing we could do to stop it - if we'd tried to stop it we would have been crushed."
    advertisement
    The truck, which was loaded with steel beams, came to a halt on a pavement on one side of the market. It had just rammed a large stand called "Fascination Christmas," tearing off one side and knocking down a large Christmas tree. The three-metre tree lay in the street, red and gold ornamental balls still attached to its limbs and a golden star at the top.
    The crash came less than a month after the US State Department called for caution at markets and other public places across Europe, saying extremist groups including Islamic State and al-Qaida were focusing "on the upcoming holiday season and associated events".
    Both groups have both called on followers to use trucks in particular to attack crowds. On July 14, a truck ploughed into Bastille Day revellers in the southern French city of Nice, killing 86 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack, which was carried out by a Tunisian living in France.
    Following that attack there were calls to block off and better protect high-profile public gatherings. There were no barriers around the Berlin Christmas market on Monday.
    After the attack, dozens of ambulances lined the streets waiting to evacuate people, and heavily armed police patrolled. The authorities used Twitter to urge people to stay away from the area, saying they need to keep the streets clear for rescue vehicles.
    A suspect believed to be the driver was picked up about 1.5 miles away, near the Victory Column monument. He was being interrogated, Berlin police spokesman Winfried Wenzel said. The truck was registered in Poland, and police said it was believed to be stolen from a building site there.
    The Polish owner of the truck said he feared the vehicle, driven by his cousin, may have been hijacked. Ariel Zurawski said he last spoke with the driver around noon, and the driver told him he was in Berlin and scheduled to unload on Tuesday morning.
    "They must have done something to my driver," he told TVN24.
    • Blogger Comments
    • Facebook Comments

    0 comments:

    Post a Comment

    Item Reviewed: Death toll rises to 12 after truck crash at Berlin Christmas market Rating: 5 Reviewed By: billsports
    Scroll to Top