News / Society

Truck rams into parade crowd in New Orleans, 28 injured

Sunday, 26 February 2017 5:17 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 26 February 2017 5:54 AM ]

A pickup truck plowed into a crowd at the Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)

At least 28 people have been injured after a truck drove into a crowd watching a parade in the US state of Louisiana.

The incident took place on Saturday at 18:45 after a drunk driver crashed his vehicle into a crowd watching the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Mid-City section of New Orleans.

Seven of the victims are reportedly in critical condition. One police officer is also among the injured. The youngest of the injured is 3 and the oldest are in their 40s, reports say.

According to New Orleans police, the driver seemed to be unaware of what he was doing, suggesting that he was heavily intoxicated. The suspect hit two cars before running into the crowd. He has been taken into custody.

Police Chief Michael Harrison said there was no indication that the accident was an act of terrorism.

“I saw the gray truck flying down Carrollton Avenue,” a witness told reporters. “He sped up and he lost control and you could see was getting ready to turn and I knew he was going to run into all those people,” she added.

Police guarding the scene of the truck accident in New Orleans, February 25, 2017 (Photo by Reuters)

The Endymion parade is one of the biggest parades in Louisiana and one of the most family-oriented ones. Many parents had brought their children to the event this year.

In a similar incident, dozens of people were killed and injured after a truck drove into a Christmas market in the German capital Berlin in December 2016.

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