A truck in Germany has crashed into pedestrians, killing a mother and injuring her daughter and four others, according to a report.
The truck driver drove into six pedestrians at around 9.50 a.m. in downtown Passau in southern Germany, a police spokesman told Bild.
A 37-year old woman died of her injuries at the site and the other four pedestrians were severely injured, including the 11-year-old daughter of the woman killed, police said.
The truck driver also received medical treatment and had to be freed from the driver’s cab, the publication reports.
The police told Bild: ‘According to previous findings, the 63-year-old truck driver continued his journey after making a delivery, drove past a stopped vehicle and hit six pedestrians.’
Fire and rescue services are at the scene in the city center. A truck has driven into a group of pedestrians in Passau city center, injuring several people and killing one woman, in Passau, Bavaria on 29 December 2023
Police officers stand at the scene in the city center of Passau, Bavaria
Emergency services from the police, fire department and ambulance stand at the scene in the city center in Passau, Bavaria
Fire and rescue services are at the scene in the city center in Passau, Bavaria
A spokeswoman told German news agency dpa that police are ‘currently assuming that this was an accident situation’. Police said an investigation was ongoing.
Bahnhofsstrasse and the Schanzlbrücke – which form the city’s main traffic artery – are shut, and the fire brigade and police are at the scene, according to the publication.
An eyewitness told the newspaper: ‘As far as I know, a truck drove into a group of people. In the middle of the pedestrian zone in the train station district near the H&M and Woolworth shops.’
Another said: ‘It was a red 7.5-tonne truck.’
Passau Mayor Jürgen Dupper said in a statement: ‘I am deeply affected and shocked by today’s truck accident.
‘In such events, our full sympathy goes out to the people affected and their families.
‘I would like to say a sincere thank you to the police, the emergency doctors, the paramedics, the fire department and all other rescue organisations who carried out their work in an exemplary manner under the dire circumstances. This misfortune means the worst possible end to 2023.’
Passau, in lower Bavaria, has around 50,000 residents and sits on the border with Austria.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.