One Person Dead After Vehicle Strikes Crowd At Berlin Pride Celebrations
Image: Image: Composite Wikipedia/X
One person has been killed and 17 others injured after a vehicle drove into people near Berlin’s Christopher Street Day celebrations, forcing organisers to halt one of Europe’s largest Pride events.
The incident occurred shortly after 10pm on Saturday in the Tiergarten, close to the Brandenburg Gate and the route of Berlin Pride’s annual march. Berlin police said the vehicle struck several people before coming to a stop after hitting a tree.
Emergency services rushed to the park as large crowds were asked to leave the area. Authorities set up an information centre for relatives and appealed for witnesses to provide footage, photographs and other information that could assist the investigation.
One dead, many injured at Berlin Pride
Police said some of the injured were in life-threatening condition. A fire brigade spokesperson said eight people had sustained serious injuries, including three whose condition was critical.
The vehicle was found empty, prompting a major search for those responsible.
A police spokesperson said, “It was empty, which is why we are currently working intensively to track down the perpetrator or perpetrators.”
Investigators later said they had identified a suspect who had not been arrested. Police said the person was known to them as having connections to Islamist circles in Berlin, while stressing that the motive, the precise sequence of events and the suspect’s alleged role had not yet been established.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, described the incident as an attack on the city’s freedom and cosmopolitan character. He said his thoughts were with the victims, their families and friends, and thanked first responders.
Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered peacefully in the German capital for Christopher Street Day, the annual Pride march that combines celebration with calls for equality, inclusion and protection from discrimination.
The event began in West Berlin in 1979 and has grown into a major fixture of the city’s cultural and political calendar. Saturday’s celebrations were abruptly cancelled after the incident.
Police have urged the public not to speculate while the investigation continues.
No further details about the deceased person or the other victims have been released.
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