One dead and others injured in France after car ‘ploughs into crowd’ by train station

One man died in the incident, while several others suffered injuries

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One person has died and 10 others were injured after a car was allegedly driven into a crowd of people outside a French railway station.

The incident took place on Wednesday in northwestern France after a fight allegedly took place at around 10.30pm local time, at a bar near the train station in the town of Caen. Initial reports suggested two people had been killed, with firefighters and police later stating there had been at least one death.

A police source said the ramming is thought to have occurred after a fight, with one of the men allegedly involved in the earlier scuffle returning to his parked vehicle afterwards. He is understood to have gotten behind the wheel before he “deliberately drove into pedestrians in the street opposite the train station”, as per police, reports the Mirror.

Seven people were admitted in critical conditions to nearby hospitals. According to local politician David Claviere, another three suffered from minor injuries.

The driver allegedly fled the scene, but was arrested shortly afterwards about 12.5 miles from the scene, a police source told France 24.

A 26-year-old Russian national remains in police custody. It is understood that he is known to the police “only for traffic offences”, and not known to intelligence services.

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All the victims hurt in the attack appear to be men, between 17 and 40 years of age, France24 reports. City security officials have also confirmed a formal investigation now under way regarding possible charges of murder and aggravated assault.

Claviere, the local prefect for Caen, told the French press the attack does not appear to be motivated by terrorism.

Declining to provide further details, he said: “for the moment, we are not dealing with a terrorist motive, but the investigation is only just beginning.”

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