At least 3 Dead, 34 Injured after Man Drove SUV Straight Through Crowd of Shoppers

At least three people have been killed and another 34 injured after a SUV ploughed into a crowd of people in Graz, Austria today.

The driver is reported to have driven his vehicle at speed into the crowd - sending several people crashing into the windshield and flying over the car - before getting out and stabbing bystanders with a knife.

It is feared that a seven-year-old boy is among the dead following the incident in Herrengasse, Graz's
main shopping street.

Police said the driver had been arrested and the downtown area where the incident occurred sealed off. There was no immediate indication why he ploughed into the crowd. Provincial Governor Hermann Schuetzenhoefer, who gave the casualty figures, described the suspected driver as a 26-year old Austrian.

A statement from the city council, published by The Independent, said:

'At 12pm there was an appalling incident in the centre of Graz, which has caused major alarm and left the city deeply shaken. A killer used his car as a weapon and deliberately ran people down on a rampage. The perpetrator is in custody.'

About 60 ambulances converged on the scene and the Austrian auto club sent four helicopters to bring the victims to hospitals. The incident took place in Graz, Austria's second largest city, took place around 12noon, and officers have sealed off the area.

DailyMailUK