Eyewitness describes German Christmas market attack

A woman who was with her boyfriend at a Christmas market in Magdeburg has told local media that she was holding her boyfriend in her arms when the car used in the vandalism sped towards them.

“He was beaten and taken away from my side. It was terrible,” 32-year-old Nadine told Bild newspaper.

Footage published on German television showed a black car plowing into a crowd of people at high speed and continuing for hundreds of meters.

It is said that Nadine’s boyfriend suffered leg and head injuries.

Another eyewitness, Gianni Warzecha, told the BBC that he was listening to Christmas carols in the market with his girlfriend’s family when “suddenly there was a roar and the sound of broken glass”.

“People started to panic,” he said. “I saw the car with people on the ground, people bleeding, there were also children.

“I was only thinking about getting first aid to people. It took a few minutes for the first paramedics to come but it wasn’t enough because there were 200 people who were injured.

“A lot of the first aid was done by the people there.”

Lars Frohmüller, a reporter for the public broadcaster MDR who arrived at the Christmas market in Magdeburg shortly after the attack, told the BBC what he saw.

“Everywhere there were ambulances, there were police, there were many firefighters.

“This was a real mess. We saw blood on the ground, we saw people sitting on their sides with gold and silver paintings around them. And we saw many doctors trying to burn people and help them with their injuries.

“It’s amazing. It’s amazing for everyone here in Magdeburg and for everyone in Saxony-Anhalt.”

Tobias Rausch, who was at the Christmas market and serves as the general secretary of Germany’s AfD party in Saxony-Anhalt, told Reuters it was terrifying.

Rausch said he had not reached the market when “suddenly, we heard a loud noise, an engine screeching”.

“People were screaming. It all happened in a split second.”

Once out of harm’s way, Rausch said he was able to film as police arrested the suspect.

Local officials told a press conference that fellow citizens provided basic first aid to the injured shortly before arriving at the scene.

One resident of Magdeburg, Heike Janke, was at the Christmas market on Friday and left around 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT), about an hour before the attack.

“We could have been hit,” Ms Janke told Reuters, as she lit a candle for those affected by the tragedy. He said he was devastated by the incident, “you probably wouldn’t believe it”.

He sat with many other local people who brought flowers and candles to a church near where the attack took place.

Corinna Pagels, a resident and employee of a counseling agency, said she was also at the market early Friday. He said the healing of the community will begin here.

“Of course, it comes down to you and we need to get things right and thankfully we have a good network and we’re there to provide upfront support to the rescue workers and firefighters and support them afterwards. So the real work starts now.”