10 dead, 30 injured as vehicle hits crowd in New Orleans

Washington: At least 10 people were killed and 30 injured when a vehicle ploughed into a crowd in a popular tourist district in the US city of New Orleans, city authorities said Wednesday.

The man who drove a pickup truck into New Year’s revellers in New Orleans tried to “run over as many people as he possibly could”, US police said Wednesday.

The driver “was hellbent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told journalists.

Two police officers shot and injured
The driver who rammed his pickup truck into a crowd also shot and wounded two police officers, police said.

“This man, this perpetrator, he fired on our officers from his vehicle when he crashed his vehicle. Two of our officers have been shot. They are stable,” Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said.

The incident occurred on Bourbon Street during the early hours of the day.

“The 8th District is currently working a mass casualty incident involving a vehicle that drove into a large crowd on Canal and Bourbon Street. There are 30 injured patients … and 10 fatalities,” NOLA Ready, New Orleans emergency preparedness program, said in a statement.
The strike appeared to be intentional, ABC News reported, quoting New Orleans police. The exact number of dead and injured person are not yet available.