At least one person has died after a car drove into a crowd of pedestrians in the west German city of Mannheim.
A spokesman for German police said there is a presence in the area around Wasserturm and Plankenkopf after several people were left seriously injured.
The public have been urged to avoid Mannheim city centre with eyewitnesses saying "multiple" people are believed to be injured.
German news website Bild reports a driver - on the Planken shopping street near the water tower - drove into a crowd in the pedestrian zone directly at the Galeria Kaufhof.
Ambulance vehicles are parked near the scene after a car drove into a crowd
Reuters
Police are in attendance in the west German city
Getty
A map showing where the incident took place in the city centre
Getty
Police at the scene in Mannheim
Reuters
Police secures the area near the scene after a car drove into a crowd, in Mannheim, Germany
Reuters
The incident occurred as crowds gathered in cities across regions including Germany's Rhineland for parades to mark the carnival season.
A spokesman for German Police said: "There is currently a police operation in Mannheim city centr, in the area around Wasserturm/Plankenkopf. Police and rescue services are on their way. Further information is not yet available. In this context, there may be temporary traffic disruptions in the city centre."
Bild reports the driver of the car has been arrested. Eyewitnesses report that debris is strewn across the scene, with at least one body covered by a tarp.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Police at the scene in Mannheim
Reuters
All roads and bridges leading out of the city are being monitored by police with submachine guns, and a helicopter is circling over the city centre.
A total of eight trauma teams have been made available, both for adults and children at Mannheim University Hospital as it has prepared everything for a possible mass casualty incident
A spokesman from the hospital said: "Postponable operations that had not yet begum were immediately removed from the operation plan in order to create additional operating capacity."
Police talk near the scene after a car drove into a crowd, in Mannheim,
Reuters
Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.
Police are on high alert for this year's carnival parades after social media accounts connected to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.
