Toddler among two dead and 70 injured in German Christmas market attack

At least two people have been killed after a car ploughed into a crowd at a Christmas market in Germany.

The attack happened at a market in the eastern German city of Magdeburg at about 7pm on Friday evening.

One adult and a young child have been identified as the two victims of the crash, but the death toll is expected to rise in the coming hours.

Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz, deputy mayor of the town, said that around 70 people were injured, with 15 of them suffering very serious injuries.

Forensics police inspect the car that rammed into a crowd at a Christmas market (Picture: AFP)

Paramedics treating a victim at the scene of the crash (Picture: Getty)

The driver was arrested at the scene shortly after the car barreled into the market at around 7 pm, when it was teeming with holiday shoppers looking forward to the weekend.

Footage distributed by the German news agency dpa showed the suspect’s arrest on a walkway in the middle of the road.

A nearby police officer pointing a handgun at the man shouted at him as he lay prone. Other officers soon arrived to take the man into custody.

He is described as a 50-year-old Saudi doctor who first came to Germany in 2006.

Ambulance crews ferry equipment on stretchers (Picture: Getty)

Multiple emergency teams were deployed to the scene (Picture: AP)

Saxony-Anhalt governor Reiner Haseloff told a news conference: ‘As things stand, he is a lone perpetrator, so as far as we know there is no further danger to the city.

‘It’s a terrible tragedy – this is a catastrophe for the city of Magdeburg and for the state, and for Germany generally as well.

‘It is really one of the worst things one can imagine, particularly in connection with what a Christmas market should bring.’

Regional government spokesperson Matthias Schuppe and spokesperson for the city Michael Reif said they suspected it was an attack.

Tents have been set up at the scene (Picture: Craig Stennett/Getty Images)

The area has been cordoned off with emergency services at the scene (Picture: AP)

Magdeburg is home to about 240,000 people

Reif said there were ‘numerous injured’ but did not give a precise figure, adding: ‘The pictures are terrible. My information is that a car drove into the Christmas market visitors, but I can’t yet say from what direction and how far.’

Magdeburg’s University Hospital said it was treating 10 to 20 patients but was bracing for more.

A video shows the chaos amongst the crowds with several people lying on the ground in the immediate aftermath.

Local news sources are also reporting that there could be an explosive device within the vehicle, a dark-coloured BMW.

Several other German towns have cancelled similar events (Picture: AFP)

The man arrested has been identified as a 50-year-old doctor (Picture: AP)

The violence shocked Magdeburg, bringing its mayor to the verge of tears and marring a festive event that’s part of a centuries-old German tradition.

It also prompted several other German towns to cancel their weekend Christmas markets as a precaution and out of solidarity with Magdeburg’s loss.

Magdeburg, which is west of Berlin, is the state capital of Saxony-Anhalt and is home to about 240,000 people.

The town’s Christmas market is located on the Old Market, directly next to the town hall near the River Elbe. There is also a large shopping centre nearby.

An Islamic extremist plowed through a crowd of Christmas market-goers with a truck in 2016, leaving 13 people dead and injuring dozens more.

The attacker was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

German interior minister Nancy Faeser said last month that there were no concrete indications of a danger to Christmas markets this year, but that it was wise to be vigilant.

Sophia Martinez