Melbourne Crash Leaves 14 Injured After Vehicle Hits Pedestrians On Flinders Street In ‘Deliberate Act’

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

  • White SUV car driven at pedestrians in central Melbourne, Australia, near train station, in ‘deliberate act’, police said
  • 14 injured, ‘several’ of whom are in a critical condition, police said
  • Two people have been arrested, including the driver of the car
  • Witnesses describe horror scenes, including bodies flying and the rush to help those struck down

Two men have been arrested after a car ploughed into a busy city street in Melbourne, Australia, injuring 14 people in what police described as a “deliberate act”.

Pictures on social media show people injured and receiving help from emergency services as witnesses describe horrific scenes including “people flying everywhere” as they were hit.

Officers have arrested the driver of the vehicle and a second man. Both are currently in police custody.

Police said that “several” of those injured are in a critical condition.

<strong>Members of the public stand behind police tape after a car ploughed into pedestrians at a crowded intersection near the Flinders Street train station in central Melbourne, Australia.</strong><strong>Police officers secure the area as members of the public stand behind police tape after a vehicle ploughed into pedestrians.</strong>

Speaking to media, police described the incident as a “deliberate act”, adding that the motivation of those involved was not yet known.

Commander Russell Barrett said: “At this stage we believe it is a deliberate act. However, we do not know the motivation and it is still early stages of the investigation.

“Police and emergency services will remain on scene for the foreseeable future.”

He added: “The crime scene will be in place for a considerable period of time and we are urging people who can avoid the area to avoid the area.

“Police will continue to have a strong presence in the Melbourne CBD until tonight.”

Photos showed a white four wheel drive with damage to its front. A person claiming to be a witness called radio station 3AW, saying there were “five to seven people laying on the ground” following the crash.

<strong>Australian police stand near a crashed vehicle after they arrested the driver of a vehicle that ploughed into pedestrians.</strong>

Another 3AW called claimed the car “just mowed everybody down, people were flying everywhere”, HuffPost Australia reported.

One witness said of the driver:  “The only thing slowing him down was him hitting pedestrians.”

The incident began at 4.30pm local time (5.30am GMT).

“A crime scene has been established and all vehicular and pedestrian traffic are advised to avoid the area,” police added.

Police said the driver and a second man had been arrested. They appealed for witnesses to go to a police station.

A picture has emerged of the moment a man was arrested nearby, after the initial vehicle incident.

All vehicle and pedestrian traffic has been advised to avoid the area on the city’s busy Flinders Street.

A child with head wounds is among those who taken to hospital, the ambulance service said.

Major streets in Australian cities have been packed with holiday shoppers this week. 

Flinders Street is a major road that runs alongside the Yarra River.

<strong>Members of the public stand behind police tape after Australian police said on Thursday they have arrested the driver of a vehicle that ploughed into pedestrians in Melbourne.</strong>

Police in Australia’s second-largest city did not give any possible motive for the incident, which had chilling echoes of a similar case when four people were killed and more than 20 injured in the same city in January.

Investigators said the January incident was not terror-related, although it led to Melbourne and other cities ramping up security measures in pedestrian areas in major cities.