(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – A car has been driven into a crowd at a carnival parade in the western German town of Volkmarsen.
Thirty people, a third of them children, were injured, some seriously.
A 29-year-old German citizen was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide. Officials said a motive was currently unclear.
Authorities in the state of Hesse, where Volkmarsen is located, cancelled all carnival parades “as a precaution” following the incident.
The incident took place during celebrations for Rosenmontag, or Rose Monday – a carnival day celebrated in some parts of Germany, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. Schools are often closed for the day, although it is not a national holiday in Germany.
Local media report that a silver Mercedes drove through plastic barricades set up for the parade and into a group of people. Police said the incident occurred at about 14:45 local time (13:45 GMT).
(BBC)
