Minivan rams into crowd at Liverpool parade, dozens injured in crash

A 53-year-old man drove into fans celebrating Liverpool's Premier League title in the city centre, injuring 27 people including four children, as police ruled out terrorism

Dozens were injured, including four children, at Liverpool's Premier League trophy parade on Monday (local time), after a 53-year-old British man rammed his minivan into the fans.

 

According to a CNN report, a total of 27 people were taken to hospital, and two of the injured had sustained serious injuries.

 

Four people, including three adults and a child, had to be removed from underneath the vehicle, the report added, citing Chief Fire Officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Nick Searle. He further added that another 20 people were being treated for minor injuries.

 

As the 53-year-old man was arrested, police officials claimed that the incident was not being treated as terrorism.

 

 

The incident occurred as football fans attended an open-top bus parade to celebrate Liverpool Football Club’s 20th top-flight league title. Liverpool's last league title was won in 2020, but supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate due to restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Narrating the ordeal, a fan named Harry Rashid told the UK’s PA Media, ‘This grey people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us … It was extremely fast. Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.’

 

He further added that people charged towards the halted vehicle and started smashing the windows. However, soon after, the 53-year-old driver ‘put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them, he just kept going’, Rashid added.

 

Reactions

 

Following the incident, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the act and said, ‘The scenes in Liverpool are appalling – my thoughts are with all those injured or affected.’ He also thanked the police and emergency services for their quick response to the incident.

 

In a post on X, Liverpool Football Club stated that it is in contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident and added, ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident. We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.’