By Catherine Nicholls and Frederik Pleitgen, CNN
Police and rescue personnel cordon off the area next to a Christmas market, where a car crashed into a crowd killing and injuring people in Magdeburg.
Photo: Doerthe HEIN / DPA / AFP
At least one person has died after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, police have said, according to local public broadcaster MDR.
Several people have also been injured, MDR reported, citing police.
Footage from social media, verified by CNN, shows the moment a black car drove directly into the crowd at the busy Christmas market.
In the video, dozens of people are crowded at the market stalls when the vehicle plows directly into them. Some people can be seen running away from the car in panic, others dive into the stalls.
Bodies and debris are scattered across the narrow lane as the car turns out of the plaza.
Extensive police measures are currently in place at the scene, Magdeburg police said in a post on X.
MDR reported that the prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, is on his way to Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin.
Magdeburg is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and has a population of about 240,000.
The Christmas market is scheduled to be open from November 22 through December 29, according to the market website. It has about 140 market stalls, as well as an ice skating rink, a ferris wheel and a children’s play area.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Melissa Gray and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
– CNN