People were left seriously injured after a car drove into a crowd of Liverpool fans.
BBC Breakfast: Liverpool Mayor shares update on parade victims
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has revealed that four people are ‘very, very ill’ in hospital after a car drove into a crowd of fans shortly after Monday’s title parade. Almost 50 people were injured in the incident, which took place on Water Street in the city centre. Four children were among the 47 injured with 27 people being taken to hospital.
Rotheram spoke to the BBC on Tuesday morning as he provided an update, saying there were ‘still four people who are very, very ill in hospital’. It was previously reported that two people, one adult and one child, had been left seriously injured. Asked if that represented an increase in the number of seriously injured people, Rotheram replied: “No, not directly, but of course we’re in liaison with the police and with the ambulance services.
Steve Rotheram offered an update on the situation on Tuesday morning (Image: BBC BREAKFAST)
A large police presence remains at the site of the incident on Water Street (Image: GETTY)
“Last night they had two gold command meetings. One was really late in the evening, so this morning I’ll get some updates.”
Regarding the police investigation, Rotheram told BBC Breakfast there were ‘no new details’ to report. However, he said there was ‘detailed work’ ongoing to determine how the car entered the closed street at such speed.
He added: “Our thoughts really should be with the people who are in hospital at the moment.”
Rotheram said the Prime Minister was being kept informed and had offered to help in any way possible. He was also asked about speculation that the incident may have been alcohol-related, given the number of bars lining Water Street.
Almost 50 people were injured when a car drove through a crowd of Liverpool fans (Image: GETTY)
“There’s a lot of speculation and that’s part of the problem,” said Rotheram. “All those things caused real consternation, but the police acted very, very quickly to put paid to some of that speculation.
“I don’t think it’s worth us speculating on what might have happened to the driver.”
Speaking at a press conference on Monday night, Dave Kitchin from North West Ambulance Service confirmed that 27 people had been taken to hospital by ambulance.
He said: “We can confirm that our teams treated 20 patients at the scene for minor injuries and these did not need hospital treatment.
“27 patients in total were taken to hospital by ambulance, and we believe two of those, including one of the children, have sustained serious injuries.”
Meanwhile, assistant chief constable Jenny Sims from Merseyside Police urged members of the public to avoid spreading misinformation on social media.
“The car stopped at the scene and a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area was arrested,” she said.
“We believe him to be the driver of the vehicle. Extensive inquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.
“I know that people will understandably be concerned by what has happened tonight. What I can tell you is that we believe this to be an isolated incident and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorism. We would ask that people refrain from sharing distressing footage from the incident online and please share any information directly with our investigation team.”
