A vehicle plowed into an LGBTQ+ event venue in Berlin, Germany, on the 25th (local time), leaving at least 1 person dead and 16 others injured, according to dpa, AP, and AFP reports.

According to police, a white van entered the Christopher Street Day (CSD) event venue at Berlin's Tiergarten park at around 10 p.m. that night, where hundreds of thousands of people had gathered, striking multiple individuals before crashing into a tree.

The suspect fled the scene on foot after abandoning the vehicle.

Police discovered a vehicle believed to have been used in the incident a few hundred meters away from the event venue.

Among the 16 injured, 11 were transported to hospitals.

Three of them are in critical condition, while the remaining eight sustained serious injuries.

The other five injured people were classified as having minor injuries.

Police, leaning heavily toward the possibility of a terrorist attack, have identified the suspect and are pursuing him.

Police spokesperson Florian Nath stated that the suspect has been identified as an individual known to authorities but has not yet been arrested, and is suspected of having ties to Islamic extremist groups.

Police are also investigating whether anyone got out of the vehicle that plowed into the crowd to carry out a secondary attack, including a knife assault.

Spokesperson Nath noted, "Witnesses stated that there were people who collapsed with stab wounds."

Additionally, because witness accounts conflicted regarding whether it was a solo act or involved multiple perpetrators, police are investigating with all possibilities open.

Following the accident, police and organizers completely cancelled the event for safety reasons.

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

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner condemned the incident as "an attack on our free and open society," stating, "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 push strongly to ensure that this horrific act is thoroughly investigated and punished."

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered that day for the Berlin CSD event, one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ festivals.

Prior to the accident, participants had been peacefully enjoying the festival by marching through downtown and dancing to music, AP reported.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)