Footage on social media also showed people lying on the road. A Reuters photographer saw emergency services carrying victims on stretchers to ambulances and debris scattered on the road. A tent was set up.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the car passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”
Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing windows. “But then he put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them, he just kept going,” Rashid said.
“It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”
“My daughter started screaming, and there were people on the ground. They were just innocent people, just fans going to enjoy the parade.”
Peter Jones, who had travelled from Isle of Man, said he heard the car smash into the crowd and saw at least half a dozen people down.
“We heard a frantic beeping ahead, a car flew past me and my mate, people were chasing it and trying to stop him, windows smashed at the back,” Jones said.
“He then drove into people, police and medics ran past us, and people were being treated on the side of the road.”
Another witness, Sonny Singh, 40, told The Guardian that he saw an injured teenager and dozens of people run past him “crying and angry” shortly after the crash.
“People were running, screaming … I saw a boy, probably about 15, holding his leg and bleeding. There were loads of people there,” he said.
A police officer speaks with an injured man at the scene.Credit: AP
Police surrounded the vehicle – which the London Telegraph reported was a black Ford Galaxy people carrier – shortly afterwards. Other videos showed angry fans attempting to reach the driver.
“We would ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding tonight’s incident,” police said. “We would ask people not to share distressing content online but to send the footage or information directly to us.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that the scenes were “appalling” and he was being updated about the events.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected. I want to thank the police and emergency services for their swift and ongoing response to this shocking incident,” Starmer said.
The team said on X it was in direct contact with police about the event. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,” Liverpool FC said.
Liverpool fans had come out in the tens of thousands to celebrate the team winning the Premier League this season for a record-tying 20th top-flight title.
Its last league title came in 2020 but supporters were denied the chance to publicly celebrate due to restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This time, scarf-and-flag-waving fans braved wet weather to line the streets and climb up traffic lights for a view of Liverpool’s players, who were atop two buses bearing the words “Ours Again”.
Police erect a tent where the car hit pedestrians.Credit: AP
The hours-long procession — surrounded by a heavy police presence — crawled along a 16-kilometre route and through a sea of red smoke and rain. Fireworks exploded from the Royal Liver Building in the heart of the city.
Reuters, AP
