A driver runs over a dozen pedestrians in Modena, Italy, leaving several seriously injured

A man has run over a dozen pedestrians with his car, injuring ten others, three of them seriously, in the Italian city of Modena. The vehicle sped into the city center, striking numerous pedestrians and creating a tense scene. 

The incident occurred in a busy area of ​​Modena’s historic center, in Largo Porta Bologna, where the car struck several pedestrians and a cyclist before crashing into a shop window. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as pedestrians tried to get out of the way of the vehicle.

Among the injured is a woman in critical condition who suffered severe injuries after being struck head-on by the vehicle. “Her legs are shattered,” explained the city’s mayor, Massimo Mezzeti. Other victims have been rushed to local hospitals , while emergency services deployed a large operation in the city center.

According to Italian media, the driver, a 31-year-old man of Moroccan origin residing in Modena , was subdued before the police arrived by a person whom the perpetrator had attempted to stab after abandoning the car . Officers eventually managed to subdue and arrest the driver.  

Security forces are keeping all hypotheses open regarding what happened , and the detainee is being questioned to clarify the circumstances and motivation of the attack. The mayor of Modena expressed his shock after visiting the scene and described the incident as “extremely serious.”