A tragedy occurred in central Berlin during the height of the CSD (Christopher Street Day) celebrations: a vehicle drove into a crowd of parade participants. According to the latest reports, at least one person has died, and another 15 have sustained injuries of varying severity.
Incident details
Police report that a white van crashed into a group of people at high speed during the march. The driver fled the scene. Police are currently conducting an intensive search for the suspect. An abandoned white vehicle with serious damage was found at the scene.
Officially, the police have not yet commented on the driver's motives. An investigation is underway to determine whether the incident was intentional and whether the crowd of Pride participants was the specific target of the attack.
Response from authorities and emergency services
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner personally arrived at the scene of the tragedy. In his statement, he described the incident as an "attack on a free society."
"After a peaceful and vibrant CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the harshest way. Berlin is a city of freedom, and our freedom was attacked in the most terrible way today," the mayor emphasized. Wegner also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
A significant number of police officers and rescue teams have been deployed to the scene. Emergency services have urged citizens to leave the Tiergarten area where the crash occurred and not to use this route for travel.
Event cancellation
On Saturday, the streets of Berlin were filled with hundreds of thousands of people who came to support the ideas of tolerance and diversity. The highlight of the event was supposed to be concerts at the Brandenburg Gate. However, due to the tragic events, the program was cut short.
At approximately 22:15, the performance of a musical group on the main stage was interrupted. Organizers and authorities urged participants to return home as soon as possible.
