At least one dead and dozens injured after car plows into German Christmas market, authorities say

By Catherine Nicholls, Frederik Pleitgen, Avery Schmitz and Benjamin Brown, CNN

At least one person has died and dozens are injured after a car plowed into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, according to local authorities.

Between 60 to 80 people were injured in the attack, fire and emergency services told CNN. According to local public broadcaster MDR, police have said that the driver of the car that plowed through the crowd has been arrested.

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.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on social media that his thoughts were with the victims of the attack. “We are at their side and at the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours,” he said.

MDR reported that the prime minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff, is on his way to Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin. “This is a terrible event, especially now in the days before Christmas,” Haseloff said, according to MDR.

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 Inke Kappeler, Melissa Gray and Lauren Kent contributed to this report.

– CNN