A man drives through a group of people in Berlin: what is known about the accident so far
Berlin.A man drives a car through a crowd of people in Berlin on Wednesday morning. According to firefighters and police, one person died. Several people were injured, some in critical condition. The background is still blurred in the afternoon. Several investigators are on site, securing evidence and questioning witnesses. Although the situation remains unclear, some information is already known.
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what happened?
According to official police information, the following happened: a man drove his small Renault around 10:26 in the morning on the corner of Ku’damm and Rankestrasse on the Ku’damm pier and in a group of people. He then drove to the intersection and a little less than 200 meters east on Tauntzene Street. Shortly before the corner of Marburger Strasse, he drove off the road onto the sidewalk again, touched another car, crossed Marburger Strasse and ended up in the window of the Douglas Perfume Factory.
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The site of the accident is not far from the memorial church at Breitscheidplatz in Berlin-Charlottenburg. In December 2016, an Islamic killer stormed the Christmas market there. At that time 12 people were killed and more than 70 were injured.
What do we know about the victims?
One person died in the accident and five others were seriously injured. A fire department spokesman said on Wednesday that three other people were seriously injured. It is not yet clear how many people have sustained minor injuries. Police reported a total of more than ten injuries.
According to information received from the German Liberation Network (RND), a group of students was affected by the accident. Initially the police did not provide any information and referred it to relatives who still need to be informed. According to media reports, the dead man was a teacher. It was officially confirmed, but this is not so. The covered body is located near the intersection of Kurfürstendamm, Rännstrasse and Tauentzenstrasse.
Vehicle crashes into crowd: one dead, several injured in Berlin
According to media reports, a car hit a group of pedestrians in Berlin. One person is said to have died.
© Source: Reuters
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It seems that only the wounded were on the street. A spokeswoman for Douglas said there were no injuries at the store where the car was parked.
What do we know about the driver of the car?
The driver of the car was temporarily arrested. Police spokesman Thelo Caplets said he was initially detained by passersby after his car crashed into the window of the Douglas branch. So the man is 29 years old, a German-Armenian who lives in Berlin. He was questioned about the incident after his arrest and has been held by police since then.
What is the status of the investigation?
Police are currently investigating whether the accident, a medical emergency, or a premeditated act. “There are a huge range of scenarios,” police spokesman Thelo Kaplitz told the German Liberation Network (RND).
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According to their statements, the police were on duty with about 130 soldiers, and officials used a helicopter to get an overview from the air. The area has been cordoned off over a large area. Several ambulances and police cars were present at the scene.
Police called on people not to post any photos of the fatal accident on the shopping street online, but rather to upload them via the Berlin police portal as evidence.
RND / nis with dpa
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