Two dead, dozens injured as car plows into crowd in Germany

03-03-2025
Rudaw
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Two people have been killed and 25 others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, according to Rudaw reporter on the ground.

Rudaw’s Znar Shino added that fifteen of the victims sustained heavy injuries and are in delicate conditions.

A black SUV reportedly sped into pedestrians near a carnival market, traveling from Paradeplatz square towards the city’s landmark water tower, local media said.

Police have detained the driver but have not confirmed whether he acted alone. Authorities have urged the public to avoid the city center, as reported by state-run Deutsche Welle (DW).

Mannheim University Hospital activated an emergency plan in case a mass casualty incident unfolds, according to local media.

The incident occurred during the carnival season, with cities across western Germany’s Rhineland holding parades.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser canceled her attendance at a parade in Cologne and was being briefed on the situation, a ministry spokesperson was quoted by DW.

The incident follows a similar attack in February, where at least 28 people were injured when an Afghan national rammed his car into a demonstration in Munich ahead of the Munich Security Conference (MSC), attended by global leaders.

In mid-December as well, a deadly attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg in central Germany killed at least two people and injured 68 others. A 50-year-old Saudi doctor was the chief suspect, accused of driving an SUV through the crowded street.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani then condemned the “barbaric attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg” and expressed solidarity “with the German people during the difficult times.”

Updated at 7:31 pm

Comments

Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.

To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.

We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.

Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.

Post a comment

Required
Required