On Monday evening, dozens of people were injured when a car drove into crowds of Liverpool Football Club fans during the club’s Premier League trophy celebration parade in the city center.
Authorities arrested a 53-year-old local man, who is believed to be the driver of the vehicle. Police have confirmed that terrorism is not suspected as a motive. The incident took place shortly after 6 p.m. local time, with reports indicating the car collided with pedestrians along the parade route. Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims urged the public to refrain from speculation regarding the event.
Read more: Father of Nine Children Killed in Gaza Airstrike Remains Critically Injured
Emergency responders acted quickly, transporting 27 injured individuals to hospitals, including four children. David Kitchin from the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust revealed that among those hospitalized, a child and an adult sustained serious injuries. Firefighters from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service rescued four people trapped beneath the vehicle. Additionally, 20 others received treatment for minor injuries at the scene.
The attack stunned the city, which was in high spirits celebrating Liverpool FC’s 20th top-tier league title with a large open-top bus parade attended by hundreds of thousands of fans. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic, with the grey people carrier suddenly accelerating into the crowd.
One witness, Harry Rashid, who was attending with his wife and two young daughters, recounted how the vehicle sped into people near them, causing panic. He described the sound of people being hit and the frantic efforts of those nearby to assist the injured and break the car’s windows.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “appalling” incident, expressing sympathy for the victims and commending emergency services for their swift actions.
Video footage from the scene showed emergency teams treating and carrying the wounded on stretchers to ambulances. Police have sealed off the area and erected a tent at the crash site as investigations proceed.
Liverpool Football Club released a statement offering condolences to those affected and pledged cooperation with local authorities and emergency teams. Fellow Premier League club Everton and the league itself also expressed their sympathies via social media.
The North West Ambulance Service later confirmed that the city center had been cleared. Meanwhile, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group requested that the public avoid contacting hospital switchboards, assuring that relatives of the injured would be informed directly.
