Three dead, 20 seriously injured after car ploughs into pedestrians in Melbourne CBD

A man is in custody after a car intentionally hit several pedestrians in Melbourne's CBD, killing three people and leaving up to 20 with serious injuries.


A maroon colored Sedan was being pursued by police in Melbourne's CBD when the vehicle entered a pedestrian-only section of the famous Bourke Street shopping mall, driving erratically along the popular strip.

In a statement, Victoria Police confirmed a number of people had been injured in the incident.

"A man has been arrested following an incident in the CBD this afternoon," Victoria Police said.

"At this early stage it is believed a man driving a vehicle has struck a number of pedestrians in the vicinity of Bourke and Queens Streets just before 2 p.m..

"Emergency services are assisting multiple patients but at least one person has been confirmed deceased."

Victoria Police said on Friday afternoon that the incident was not related to terrorism.

Rebecca Russo, a witness of the chase, said she saw three people hit by the car as it sped through the mall.

"We were just standing on Bourke Street, and we heard a bit of a crash coming from the mall. I saw a maroon car driving up the pedestrian path on the Flinders Street side," Russo told Fairfax Media on Friday.

"People were running out of the way, they were going very, very fast. I saw him hit a few people. I saw bodies flying into the air."

Ambulance Victoria confirmed that 20 people were being treated as a result of the incident with four of those being children.
  [Xinhua/China]
20/1/17