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Small car in the window: several injured
Photo: IMAGO/stefan zeitz / IMAGO/Stefan Zeitz
What happened?
According to police reports, a 29-year-old man drove into a group of people in a car on the sidewalk of Berlin's Kurfürstendamm at around ten-thirty in the morning.
Then he drove to an intersection and just under 200 meters further on Tauentzienstraße in an easterly direction.
Shortly before the corner of Marburger Strasse, he steered the car off the road onto the sidewalk again, touched another car, crossed Marburger Strasse and ended up in the window of a perfumery shop.
One person died in the accident, according to the fire department.
Six people suffered life-threatening injuries, three people were seriously injured and an unknown number of people were slightly injured.
The police speak of more than a dozen injured.
Was it an accident or on purpose?
That is unclear.
According to investigators, it could have been an accident or a deliberate act.
Police spokesman Thilo Cablitz said at noon that indicators that speak for an intentional act would now be compared with testimonies and traces, among other things.
Who are the victims?
Little is known about the identity of the victims.
Berlin's Mayor Franziska Giffey spoke of a death.
The dpa news agency and rbb report that a group of students is affected.
The police say they will only provide information about the identity of the victims once their relatives have been contacted.
Who is the driver?
According to the police, the driver of the Renault Clio is a 29-year-old man who lives in Berlin.
He is said to have been held by two passers-by.
The police then arrested him.
He will be heard.
Who helped on site?
According to the fire brigade, 80 rescue workers were on site and cared for the injured.
The police moved in with about 130 forces.
With a helicopter, the investigators got an overall picture of the situation on site, as a police spokesman said.
A rescue helicopter was also seen.
The area was cordoned off extensively.
A team from the emergency pastoral care was also on site.
Pastor Justus Münster, representative of the Evangelical Church for emergency pastoral care in Berlin, told the dpa news agency that eleven pastors were on duty.
According to him, the coordinator for emergency pastoral care in the Archdiocese of Berlin, Brother Norbert Verse, was also there.
A spokesman for the fire brigade told the dpa on site that a place had been set up at the Memorial Church to provide psychological care for witnesses.
How are the reactions?
The federal government has expressed its condolences.
The government was "very affected and shaken," said deputy government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann.
Thoughts and sympathy are with the injured and their families.
A spokesman for Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also expressed sympathy for those affected.
"Above all, our hope is that those seriously injured and injured will recover," he said.
Investigations and clarification were under high pressure, but it was too early to talk about the background.
The Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) promised the victims and their families support.
"We will do everything we can to help those affected," Giffey said.
Likewise, everything is being done to clarify what happened: "I am deeply affected by this terrible event this morning," said Giffey.
In the afternoon she also wanted to get an idea of the situation on site: "Now it is important that the injured are treated." In addition, the relatives, who were in shock, needed help and support.
ptz/dpa
