Mannheim [Germany], March 5 (HBTV): At least two people have died, and several others were injured after a car drove into a group of pedestrians in central Mannheim, Germany, Euro News reported, citing a police statement on Monday (local time).

According to the German news agency DPA, one person died at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries later, raising the death toll to two. Multiple people are believed to be injured, with media reports suggesting the number could be as high as 25.

Witnesses, including a reporter from DPA, saw a body covered with a sheet after the incident, Euro News reported.

The driver has been arrested, and police continue to investigate the scene in the Paradenplatz pedestrian area. Authorities are still working on the case, and a police operation remains ongoing in the city center.

However, in a statement at 4 pm (local time), police said there was no danger to the public and ‘no evidence of a second perpetrator’.

Earlier in the day, warning apps had reported a life-threatening situation, according to domestic media.

Mannheim University Hospital has activated ‘disaster response’ mode, with at least three seriously injured people—two adults and a child—undergoing treatment.

Authorities earlier urged the public to avoid downtown Mannheim and use alternative routes due to a heavy police presence. A police helicopter was seen overhead, and traffic checks were set up on nearby bridges.

Mannheim police also warned against the spread of false information related to the incident. They urged people not to share videos of the attack and to rely only on official sources for updates.

The car involved in the incident has been identified as a dark-colored or black compact SUV or similar vehicle. Reports indicate that the car was speeding and deliberately struck several pedestrians on the main shopping street.

Mannheim, a city of about 300,000 people, is located approximately 80 kilometers south of Frankfurt.

The incident comes just weeks after a mother and a child were killed in a car-ramming attack in Munich.

Last December, six people were killed, and more than 200 were injured when a car rammed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

(ANI)