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Runaway truck mows down Glasgow shoppers

December 22, 2014

Several people were killed after a garbage truck lost control in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The driver is thought to have fallen ill at the wheel.

https://p.dw.com/p/1E8wn
Katastrophe im Einkaufsrummel - Müllwagen erfasst Passanten
Image: Reuters

The large green lorry reportedly hit a number of pedestrians as it veered out of control along a crowded road in the city center, Superintendent Stewart Carle of Police Scotland said.

He said the incident was "a road traffic accident, nothing more sinister."

"For now it does not look to be a criminal or deliberate act that has taken place here this afternoon, but we need to have time to investigate it," he added. He also confirmed the driver was being treated in hospital.

Officials have yet to confirm that the driver fell ill at the wheel and lost control of the vehicle; however, news agencies are reporting witnesses suggested this could have been the case.

The crash happened near George Square when the streets were packed with Christmas shoppers.

Eye witness Alison Keith was close to the scene of the fatal incident as it unfolded.

"I heard screaming and saw people running toward George Square," Keith told the Associated Press (AP). "By the time I got round the corner there were people trying to help the injured. It was horrific. There were people crying and shouting."

She told AP it appeared the driver "had lost control and shot across the road" into the entrance of the city's Queen Street train station, colliding with pedestrians along the way.

British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his condolences on Twitter:

It was the second tragedy to hit Scotland's biggest city during the run up to Christmas in two years. Just over a year ago a police helicopter crashed into the roof of a packed Glasgow public house, killing 10 people.

lw/glb (AP, Reuters)