British officials in Liverpool say more than two dozen people, including four children, are in hospital with injuries after a vehicle drove into a crowd of soccer fans celebrating the city’s Premier League championship Monday evening.
The driver, identified as a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area, was arrested at the scene, police said.
“This had been a joyous day in Liverpool, with hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets to celebrate,” Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Const. Jenny Sims said at a late-night media briefing.
She said investigators believe the incident was isolated and is not being treated as terrorism.
Twenty people were treated for minor injuries at the scene, including children, while an additional 27 patients were taken to hospital, officials said.
Dave Kitchin, head of the North West Ambulance Service, said it’s believed one adult and one child suffered “serious injuries.”
A cyclist paramedic with the ambulance service who was on scene for the festivities was among the injured, Kitchin added.
“This is indeed an appalling incident, and we understand that people will be deeply upset,” he said. “All of us at North West Ambulance Service share with you the frustration that this wonderful day has ended like this, and we hope that those have been injured make a speedy recovery.”
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Nick Searle, the chief fire officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said first responders had to lift the vehicle to rescue four people trapped underneath, including a child.
Police and city officials urged the public not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident and refrain from sharing “distressing content” online.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked police in a post on X.
“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected. I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” he wrote.
“I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
The incident occurred as thousands of people lined the streets of the city to celebrate Liverpool’s victory in the recent Premier League, which had last seen a title in 2020 but could not celebrate due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Prior to 2020, the league title last came to the city in 1990.
This time, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and climb up traffic lights for a view of Liverpool’s players, who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again.”
The hours-long procession — surrounded by a heavy police presence — crawled along a 16-kilometer route and through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the city.
Police said they first received reports of the collision around 6 p.m. local time, as the festivities were beginning to wind down.
The team in a short statement said its thoughts and prayers were with those affected. The Premier League issued a similar statement expressing shock at the “appalling events in Liverpool.”
The collision also came as King Charles III and Queen Camilla landed in Canada for their visit to the country.
—With files from the Associated Press
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