Four people ‘still very, very ill in hospital’ – Liverpool mayor
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the metro mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram said he was stood about 100 metres away from the incident as it unfolded.
He spoke of the mis- and disinformation that spread online in the immediate aftermath of the event. He said he thought Merseyside police did well to “dampen things down” by releasing details of the detained driver – a 53-year-old white British man – so quickly. Police are not treating the incident as terrorism related.
Rotheram said there are “still four people who are very, very ill in hospital”.
“We are hoping of course that they pull through,” he said.
Asked whether that reflects an increase on the previous number of seriously injured – given by authorities last night as one adult and one child – he says: “No, not directly, but of course we’re in liaison with the police and with the ambulance services.
“Last night they had two gold command meetings – one was really late in the evening, so this morning I’ll get some updates.”
Key events
Images from the scene this morning show debris and police tape – the sobering aftermath of last night’s incident that injured nearly 50, two seriously.
An inflatable field tent at the scene in Water Street near the Liver Building in Liverpool city centre. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
There is still a police presence along Water Street and the blue inflatable field tent that was used to treat victims is still on the road. The clean-up operation is yet to begin.
Police officers walk along Water Street near the Liver Building in Liverpool city centre. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PAA police van blocks the street road along Water Street. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
Birkenhead MP asks for public not to speculate following incident
Alison McGovern, MP for Birkenhead, called on the public not to speculate following the “really awful” incident in Liverpool, PA reports.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she felt “so devastated” after spending four hours at the Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade.
Asked about how important Merseyside Police’s announcement of an arrest was on Monday evening, the Labour MP said: “The police gave out some very clear messages yesterday, not least that if people have got footage or anything that might be useful to them, then please, please give it to Merseyside Police and don’t speculate on the internet or share things like that.
“In Merseyside, I think the police have been through quite a lot in recent times and they’re very, very capable, and I would ask people to listen to them and to do as they’ve asked.”
Liverpool metro mayor Steve Rotheram also praised the emergency services who responded to the incident. He also mentioned the public response – including from public transport workers who gave up their time for free to ensure people could get home.
“Because of what happened after in the immediacy of the incident, what happened with public transport because all of our stations – our train stations, our bus stations – everything was locked down,” Rotheram said.
“That caused a significant backlog of people who wanted to leave the area. People came in on their days off, gave up their time freely to run trains, to run buses, get people home. They worked late into the evening.”
Four people ‘still very, very ill in hospital’ – Liverpool mayor
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the metro mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram said he was stood about 100 metres away from the incident as it unfolded.
He spoke of the mis- and disinformation that spread online in the immediate aftermath of the event. He said he thought Merseyside police did well to “dampen things down” by releasing details of the detained driver – a 53-year-old white British man – so quickly. Police are not treating the incident as terrorism related.
Rotheram said there are “still four people who are very, very ill in hospital”.
“We are hoping of course that they pull through,” he said.
Asked whether that reflects an increase on the previous number of seriously injured – given by authorities last night as one adult and one child – he says: “No, not directly, but of course we’re in liaison with the police and with the ambulance services.
“Last night they had two gold command meetings – one was really late in the evening, so this morning I’ll get some updates.”
The PA news agency provides eyewitness reports of last night’s incident in Liverpool that injured nearly 50, two seriously.
One onlooker, Matthew O’Carroll, 28, from Runcorn, saw the car approaching the top of Water Street.
He said the vehicle went past a parked police van at a “decent” speed and that the driver was beeping as he went through the crowd.
Meanwhile, witness Mike Maddra saiad the “car turned left, mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings”.
He said: “we got out the way and it was speeding up”. Maddra said he thought he saw two people being hit and added, “it looked deliberate”.
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, said you could “hear the bumps” as the driver rammed spectators. He described how crowds began trying to smash the car windows, causing the driver to stall for about 10 seconds, before putting his foot down again and hitting more people.
Dan Ogunshakin, an off-duty BBC reporter attending the parade, told the public broadcaster he saw people hitting the car before it reversed and then “it suddenly accelerated forwards”, straight towards the surrounding crowd.
“What had once been an atmosphere of celebration and joy and happiness suddenly turned into fear and terror and disbelief,” he said.
Police said the car eventually stopped at the scene and the man was detained. Nick Searle, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said four people who were trapped under the car, including a child, were rescued by firefighters.
Opening summary
Welcome to today’s live coverage of events in Liverpool after a car ploughed into pedestrians at Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade on Monday evening. Nearly 50 people, including children, were injured including 27 taken to hospital.
Police said they arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area but have said they did not believe the incident was terrorism-related. The man was arrested at the scene of the collision on Water Street in the heart of the city, after roads had been reopened following the parade.
Scenes of jubilation, with thousands of Liverpool fans lining the streets to celebrate their club’s victory, quickly turned to horror and confusion as emergency services arrived at the scene about 6pm.
Liverpool fans after the collision during the club’s victory parade. Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters
In other key developments:
Twenty people were treated at the scene. Ambulance officials said of the 27 taken to hospital, four were children. One child and one adult were in a serious condition. Four people trapped under the vehicle had to be released by firefighters.
When the car stopped, angry fans reportedly converged on the vehicle and began smashing the windows as police intervened to prevent them from reaching the driver.
Police said they believed “this to be an isolated incident” and were not looking for anyone else in relation to it. “The incident is not being treated as terrorism,” said Jenny Sims, the assistant chief constable of Merseyside police.
Prime minister Keir Starmer said the scenes were appalling and thanked police and emergency services for their “swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident”.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper called the incident “shocking and horrendous”.
Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool city council, said the incident “has cast a very dark shadow of what had been a joyous day for the city and the finale to a fabulous bank holiday weekend”.
Liverpool FC said “our thoughts and prayers are with those” affected.
