Several dead after car drives into crowd in western Germany

Multiple people are dead and others are injured after a car rammed into a crowd of people in the city of Münster, Germany, police said.

Germany’s Interior Ministry says at least four people have died, German news agency DPA reported. A police spokesman said the driver then shot himself in the head while in the van. 

Around 30 people have been injured, according to multiple reports, and police told CNN that authorities are treating the crash as a deliberate attack. 

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“Some people have died and some have been injured,” local police wrote on Twitter, according to German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

The driver’s identity remains unknown and the cause of the attack remains unclear.

Police are reportedly investigating a suspicious package and reports of two other men in the van who fled after the crash.

First responders are at the scene of the crash and are reportedly asking residents to stay away from the area as they carry out an investigation. 

The crash took place in the downtown area of the city, which is a major German university center.

Updated: 2:23 p.m.