One person has died and another was injured in a car explosion outside a women's hospital in Liverpool, northern England on Sunday.
British counterterrorism police have been tasked with investigating the still unclear circumstances surrounding the crash.
"Three men - aged 29, 26 and 21 - have been arrested in the Kensington area of Liverpool under the Terrorism Act," police said on Twitter.
"So far, we understand that the car involved was a taxi that stopped at the hospital shortly before the explosion," Merseyside police said, indicating that "work is still underway to establish what happened ”. It was around midday French time that Merseyside police were first alerted, before immediately intervening.
“Unfortunately, we can confirm that one person has died and another has been taken to hospital where they are being treated for injuries, which fortunately do not endanger their lives,” local police said in a report. communicated.
North West England Anti-Terrorism Police said “the passenger in the car - a man - was pronounced dead at the scene and has not yet been formally identified.
"The driver - also a man - was injured (…) and remains hospitalized in stable condition".
"A horrible incident"
Interior Minister Priti Patel said on Twitter that she was "regularly informed" of new developments in what she described as "a horrible incident".
“Our police and emergency services are working hard to establish what happened,” she added.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson conveyed his thoughts "to all those affected by the terrible incident in Liverpool".
I am being kept regularly updated on the awful incident at Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Our police and emergency services are working hard to establish what happened and it is right they are given the time and space to do so.
Please follow @MerseyPolice for updates.
- Priti Patel (@pritipatel) November 14, 2021
Police lines were put in place and roads closed to traffic near the scene of the incident, from which heavy gray smoke escaped, according to images posted on local media websites.
Phil Garrigan, the Merseyside fire chief, said the vehicle fire was "fully developed" when emergency vehicles arrived.
An individual had left the vehicle before the fire
"The operational teams extinguished the fire quickly, but as the police chief indicated, there was one death," he told reporters on the spot.
"Another individual had left the vehicle before the fire developed," he said.
The hospital said in a statement "if possible divert patients to other hospitals until further notice" and continue to allow ambulances to access the hospital "in case of emergency."
The police urged the population to "remain calm but vigilant".
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