Man drives into crowd in Germany, at least 2 dead

A van plowed through a small crowd Saturday afternoon in Muenster in Western Germany, leaving at least two people dead and several injured before the driver killed himself, German police confirmed to NBC News.

The vehicle careened into pedestrians gathered by the popular Kiepenkerl bar, in the city's historic downtown area, about 3:27 p.m. and killed two people, police said. The suspect also died at the scene, but police could not confirm how.

Officials have not released the driver's identity, but they told NBC that there is no immediate indication the motive was terror-related. However, the investigation is ongoing.

Police said several people were also injured, some critically. Officials reported earlier that 30 had been injured.

Witnesses said people ran away screaming from the city square after the crash. Police quickly set up a large cordoned-off area for their investigation and ambulances rushed to the site.

Police in Muenster tweeted after the incident that "the situation continues to be unclear" and to avoid the area, adding that emergency services were attending to the injured.

Police told NBC they are not looking for any other suspects but are investigating witness accounts.

Witnesses said other perpetrators may have fled from the scene, the Associated Press reported. Spokesman Andreas Bode said witnesses told them others left the van after it crashed.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "deeply shocked by the terrible events in Muenster."

"Everything conceivable is being done to investigate the crime and to support the victims and their relatives," Merkel said in a statement. "My thanks go to all the responders at the scene."

The Muenster University Hospital put out an urgent call for citizens to donate blood — and so many people rushed to help that long lines of donors formed. Jan Schoessler, who was among those in line, said dozens of people were waiting shortly after doors opened at 7 p.m.

The university canceled the call after only an hour and thanked everyone on Twitter "for your overwhelming support."

Muenster, a major university city, has about 300,000 residents and an attractive medieval city center that was rebuilt after World War II. TV footage showed a narrow street sealed off Saturday with red-and-white police tape. Dozens of ambulances were near the cordoned-off area and helicopters were flying overhead.

The Kiepenkerl is not only one of the city's best-known traditional pubs, but also the emblem of the city, depicting a traveling salesman with a long pipe in his mouth and a big backpack on his back.

Ugur Hur was working at a nearby cafe in downtown Muenster when the crash took place.

"I heard a loud bang, screaming. And the police arrived and everyone was sent out," he said. "A lot of people were running away screaming."

Lino Baldi, who owns an Italian restaurant near the scene of the crash, told Sky TG24 that the city center had been packed with people out enjoying a Saturday market and summer-like temperatures, which had risen to 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) from just 12 degrees (54 degrees F) a day earlier.

A vehicle also drove into pedestrians in Germany in December 2016. A truck plowed through crowds at a Christmas market in Berlin and killed 12 people.

(NBC)