Police have shot dead a man who killed at least 10 people and shot two officers in a "terrorist attack".
This morning, a car crashed into a crowd celebrating New Year on a popular party street in New Orleans at around 3.15am this morning (local time), in what the Mayor of New Orleans described as a "terrorist attack".
Police have confirmed that 10 people are dead, dozens have been injured and two police officers were shot and injured, adding that the FBI will take over the investigation.
The FBI has since said that "improvised explosive devices" have been found inside the truck used for the attack and, later, issued a further statement which reads: "This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others."
A further 30 people have been injured, which took place in the French Quarter of the city
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It added that the person then "engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased", concluding: "The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism."
A further 30 people were injured in the incident, which took place in the French Quarter of the city.
A man, claiming to have witnessed the horrific incident, wrote online that he saw an SUV "speeding" down the road and "running people over".
One alleged witness recounted the event, claiming that she saw the car hit the crowds and started to run, local news outlet WLWT reports.
The city's emergency preparedness campaign, NOLA, which is managed by New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, has announced that there has been "mass casualty incident".
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They said: "The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street.
"Public safety partners are responding on scene."
Kevin Garcia, 22, said the truck was "slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk", adding that he heard gunshots and said that a "body came flying at me", CNN reports.
Meanwhile, Whit Davis, 22, from Shreveport, Louisiana, said she was in a club when the incident took place, telling CNN: "Everyone started yelling and screaming and running to the back, and then we basically went into lockdown for a little bit."
She explained that although the street had "calmed down", officials would not allow them to leave.
New Orleans police attended the scene in the early hours of the morning
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President Joe Biden has been briefed on the attack and offered support to the Mayor of New Orleans, according to the White House.
"The FBI is already on the ground supporting local law enforcement in the investigation and the President will continue to be briefed throughout the day," the White House confirmed.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has condemned the "horrific" attack, adding that he was "praying for all the victims and first responders on scene" in an online post.
"A horrific act of violence took place on Bourbon Street earlier this morning," Landry shared.
"Please join Sharon and I in praying for all the victims and first responders on scene. I urge all near the scene to avoid the area."
