At least nine dead in Berlin ramming attack
Truck plows into crowd at German Christmas market
BERLIN (Reuters) – A truck plowed into a crowded Christmas market in the German capital on Monday evening, killing nine people and injuring up to 50 others, police said.
German media, citing police at the scene, said first indications pointed to an attack on the market, situated at the foot of the ruined Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, which was kept as a bombed-out ruin after World War Two.
The incident evoked memories of an attack in France in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-ton truck along the beachfront, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people. The attack was claimed by ISIS.
The truck careened into the Berlin market at what would have been one of the most crowded times for the Christmas market, when adults and children would be gathering in the traditional cluster of wooden huts that sell food and Christmas goods.
Berlin police said nine people were killed
“I heard a big noise and then I... saw much chaos... many injured people,” Jan Hollitzer, deputy editor-inchief of Berliner Morgenpost, told CNN. “It was really traumatic.”
Police cars and ambulances converged quickly on the scene as a huge security operation unfolded. The fate of the driver of the truck was not immediately clear, but Bild newspaper said he was on the run.
Emma Rushton, a tourist visiting Berlin, told CNN the truck seemed to be traveling at about 65 kilometers an hour.
Julian Reichelt, editor-inchief of Bild, said that there was a massive security operation under way.
“The scene certainly looks like a reminder of what we saw in Nice,” Reichelt said.