Two people dead and driver arrested after car drives into crowd in German city of Mannheim

Authorities say two people have died and several others have been injured. (Reuters: Alfio Marino)

In short:

A car has slammed into a crowd of pedestrians in the German city of Mannheim, south of Frankfurt, killing at least two people and injuring many more.

The driver of the vehicle has been detained.

It's the latest in a series of recent incidents in Germany, including a ram-raid attack at a Christmas market just before Christmas.

Two people have been killed and several others have been injured after a car was driven into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday.

The car's driver has been detained, and later police said there was no broader threat to the public.

The incident occurred as crowds gathered in cities across western Germany's Rhineland for parades to mark the carnival season.

People were seen lying on the ground at the scene and at least two were being resuscitated, an eyewitness told Reuters.

German news organisations reported at least 25 people had been injured and that the suspect detained was a 40-year-old man from Germany.

Police declined to comment on the suspect's identity.

A black SUV drove at high speed into a group of people, travelling from the centrally located Paradeplatz square towards the city's landmark water tower, local media reported.

Items could be seen strewn across the thoroughfare and tram tracks, surrounded by emergency vehicles and personnel.

An area of Mannheim's city centre has been cordoned off as emergency services respond to the incident. (AP: Dieter Leder/dpa)

Mannheim University Hospital said it was prepared for a possible mass casualty incident, German news agency dpa reported. 

The hospital has implemented its disaster and emergency plan to prepare for the care of the injured, which included cancelling non-essential operations.

Mannheim is a city of over 300,000 people, located 85 kilometres south of Frankfurt.

Security has been a key concern in Germany following a string of violent attacks in recent weeks, including deadly car rammings in Magdeburg in December and in Munich last month, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim in May 2024.

Police are on high alert for this year's carnival parades after social media accounts connected to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks on the events in Cologne and Nuremberg.

Reuters/AP