Car Rams into Europe's Largest LGBTQ+ Festival: 1 Dead, Over 10 Injured

A car plowed into a gathering at an LGBTQ+ event in Berlin, Germany, drawing hundreds of thousands of people, leaving at least one person dead and over a dozen injured.

According to major foreign media reports, at around 10:00 PM local time on the 25th, a white van drove into Berlin's Tiergarten Park near the route where participants of the Christopher Street Day event had been marching.

The vehicle struck several parade participants before crashing into a tree.

[Florian Nath / Berlin Police Spokesperson: The vehicle came to a stop after colliding with a tree, and the driver abandoned the car and fled in an unknown direction.]

The injured are receiving treatment from emergency rescue workers dispatched to the scene, and some are in critical condition with severe injuries.

The driver of the vehicle fled the scene on foot.

The identity of the suspect and the exact motive for the crime have not yet been confirmed, and police are currently tracking down the suspect.

Berlin police spokesperson Florian Nath stated in a video posted on the Berlin police X account, "We are conducting an intensive search to find the primary suspects."

Following the incident, police and organizers completely canceled the event for safety reasons.

Police urged participants to immediately leave the venue and return home, while fully cordoning off the area where casualties occurred.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the incident, calling it "an attack on our free and open society," and stated, "A gathering assembled for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was brutally attacked," while offering comfort to the victims and their families.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to sternly punish the perpetrators.

In a statement, he said, "We will strongly push for this horrific act to be thoroughly investigated and punished."

Christopher Street Day is one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ festivals, and it was estimated that hundreds of thousands of people had gathered for the event that day.

The Associated Press reported that until the incident occurred, participants had been peacefully enjoying the festival by marching through the city center and dancing to music.

Reported by Sim Yeong-gu | Video by Na Hong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.