Europe on high alert after truck attack kills 12 in Berlin market

BERLIN: A brutal truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market, which killed 12 people, has sent shockwaves across Europe, prompting some countries to join Germany in bolstering their security measures at events over the festive season.

Berlin Christmas markets will remain closed for one day in the wake of the attack. Police presence is to increased in the German capital and concrete Dec. 20: A two-year-old Pakistani girl was killed on Monday evening while crossing the road near Ruwi roundabout with her mother and siblings. The mother, who is reported to be pregnant, survived the accident along with other injuries, but sustained serious injuries including a leg fracture. The girl’s name is Soiba Aurangzeb.

According to Azra Aleem, former director of Pakistan Social Club Oman, Soiba and her mother were returning from the nearby hospital after meeting her aunt when they were suddenly hit by a trailer while crossing the road. Her mother is currently admitted to Khoula Hospital’s plastic surgery ward for women.

The family lives in Ruwi, tailoring shop in Wadi Kabir.

It may recalled a student of Pakistan School Muscat was killed in an accident in October near Hamriya roundabout when he was crossing the road on his way home from bollards are to be installed at certain Christmas markets in order to prevent any vehicles veering onto pedestrianised areas, a spokesman for the state of Berlin’s interior ministry said.

While state interior ministers outside Berlin agreed that shutting Christmas markets was not necessary, they agreed to implement tougher measures on a state by state level.

Austria’s Interior Ministry told but runs a OC Centre in Ruwi, after tuitions.

“Some measures need to be taken to avoid such accidents due to pedestrian crossing on those roads. There are signals to regulate the flow of traffic and slowdown the vehicular movement,” said Aslam, who works as a restaurant delivery boy in Ruwi.

“Pedestrians have no option but to cross roads and sometime accidents happen even when someone is ultra conscious. Overpass may be not feasible but the authorities should look for options such as underpass or special signals for pedestrians to cross the other side,” said a hospital nurse.

According to citizens and residents who spoke to the Observer, special attention should be given to building new pedestrian bridges and redesigning of signals with visible zebra crossings.

“We should consider imposing fines on people trying to cross without any safety concerns like in some neighbouring countries,” said Sima S, an expatriate who frequently visits Ruwi for shopping. Christmas market organisers to revise their security plans in reaction to the truck attack. The country’s security forces have also been placed on high alert.

London police said they will review security measures for Christmas and New Year’s Eve events in the British capital “following the awful incidents in Berlin and Ankara last night,” referencing the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara on Monday.