Several hurt after car hits crowd in Manchester

Six people have been injured, including five seriously, after a car hit pedestrians in Manchester.

Police have said there was no evidence to suggest the collision in Trafford Park was terror-related after they were alerted just before 10pm on Thursday evening.

Officers said the car failed to stop after the incident and they have now found a blue BMW 330d, believed to be involved, in the Salford area.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failing to stop after a collision. He remains in custody.

Police said five pedestrians had sustained “serious trauma injuries”.

A sixth person went to hospital of their own accord with wounds not thought to be serious.

The road where the incident took place is known to be used by people to race cars. Authorities banned car cruising events from the area last year.

In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers are currently responding to a collision in Trafford.

“At 9.50pm this evening, Thursday 31 May, police were called to Europa Way, Trafford Park to reports that a car had collided with a number of pedestrians.

“Emergency services are at the scene and there are currently five reported injuries.”

A witness, who did not want to be named, told the Manchester Evening News that people were “flung everywhere”.

“It happened at about 9.50pm, give or take a couple of minutes. A car hit five or six people,” they said. “People were flung everywhere. I saw a man in a bush afterwards and a lady with head injuries.”

Another witness, Ryan Currie, 23, said he saw three people and a small dog being “launched into the air”.

“The car then drove through them and carried on without stopping,” he said. “At this point I heard the dog yelping and running round, loads of people ran over to attend to the injured.

“A huge crowd gathered round, ringing ambulances and police.”

The North West Ambulance Service told the paper the five pedestrians were in a “serious condition”.

“We were called at 9.49pm to reports of a collision between a car and pedestrians,” a spokesperson told the paper. “We currently have five patients, all in a serious condition.

“We have four ambulances, an advanced paramedic, a senior clinician and three hazardous area response teams (HART) at the scene.”

A National Police Air Service helicopter is also assisting with the incident.

It tweeted: “22:30 @gmpolice @gmptraffic Assist with search in the Trafford area after serious road traffic collision in locality.”

Key 103 reporter Amy Scarisbrick, who was at the scene, told Sky News: “It’s an area on an industrial estate, it’s a roundabout. There’s dozens of emergency service vehicles. It’s very eerily quiet at the moment, there are no members of the public as it’s an industrial area.”

She said there was a “big police presence” and that she had seen witnesses to the collision being interviewed by officers.

She added: “From the level of emergency services here, it seems massive. They’re not letting us anywhere near.”

The journalist said one man she spoke to was “shaken” by what he saw.

“He said that he could hear people screaming, he saw a few people lying in the middle of the road, there was a scene of chaos, people running, people very scared and panicked,” she said.

(c) Sky News 2018: Several hurt after car hits crowd in Manchester