1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Israel-Hamas warRussia's war in UkraineAnniversary of EU's expansion east

Vehicle plows into crowd in Austria

June 20, 2015

A man has driven his car into a crowd in the Austrian city of Graz, killing three and injuring more than 30 people. There are also unconfirmed reports several people died in the attack.

https://p.dw.com/p/1FkEc
Police investigators stand at the scene where an SUV drove into pedestrians in the city center of Graz, Austria, 20 June 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

The incident happened on Saturday in the country's second largest city, Graz, around 143 kilometers (89 miles) from the capital, Vienna.

The perpetrator had been arrested and that police had sealed-off the downtown area, public broadcaster ORF reported. It quoted several witnesses as saying the driver of the SUV had apparently sped toward the crowd on one of the main shopping streets at random. Panic broke out as people scrambled to escape the rampaging car.

Eyewitnesses told Austria's APA news agency that the vehicle drove at a speed of around 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour), with one person describing the commotion as sounding "like a gunfight."

At a news conference Hermann Schützenhöfer, head of the Steiermark region, confirmed around 34 people had been injured, saying many remained in critical condition. He described the driver as being "mentally disoriented."

Deputy Governor Michael Schickhofer said around 50 ambulances and 16 medical personnel treated the wounded. He stated that an emergency hotline was being set up for family members worried that their relatives may have been involved in the accident.

an/sms (AP, dpa, AFP)