Several injured in incident at Berlin Pride event, police say

One person has died and at least 16 others have been injured at a Berlin Pride event after a vehicle was driven into a crowd in the city centre.

An intensive manhunt was under way for one or more suspects, police said, as they urged people to avoid the area.

The injured were being treated by emergency services near Tiergarten park, where the incident took place, some with life-threatening injuries, police added.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to "make sure this horrific act is fully investigated and punished", he said in a statement.

The annual pride event, also known as Christopher Street Day, has been cancelled.

"We believe that a vehicle entered the Tiergarten park and hit several people and injured them," police posted on social media.

Eyewitnesses said a white van sped into a crowd of people in the Tiergarten shortly after 22:00 local time, according to local media.

Witnesses said they saw a car driving "very quickly" into the crowd and heard screams as people ran into Tiergarten park trying to hide.

Local media reported the vehicle was abandoned at the scene.

Images showed a large emergency services presence at the scene, with one person seen being carried into an ambulance on a stretcher.

A number of police officers as well as rescue units from the fire department were deployed to the area.

The mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, called the incident "an attack on our free and open-minded society".

"My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and their friends," he wrote on social media. "I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be investigating with the utmost urgency."

Earlier on Saturday, huge crowds took part in the Pride march through the city, which is the biggest in a series of events across Germany celebrating the rights of the LGBT community.

Police appealed to the public for information and footage of the incident to aid their investigation.

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