New Orleans health officials said the accident causing mass casualties occurred at the intersection of Canal and Bourbon streets and authorities were immediately on the scene, CNN reported.
The accident killed 10 people, while 30 injured people were taken to 5 hospitals in the city. The fatal car crash occurred in the early morning of January 1 local time, located in the bustling Bourbon neighborhood at night, where many people were welcoming the New Year.
Police were present at the scene of the accident
According to witnesses, the New Year’s Eve festival turned into horror when the car crashed into the crowd. “All I saw was a truck hitting people on the left side of the Bourbon Street sidewalk. A body seemed to fly towards me,” a witness told CNN.
A second witness, Whit Davis, said people started screaming and looking for places to hide. “The police instructed us to leave the area. I saw a few bodies that weren’t even covered and many people were being given first aid,” Mr. Davis told CNN.
The incident occurred in the city of New Orleans, where the famous football match The Sugar Bowl between universities will take place on the evening of January 1. Police said they have increased security work to protect people in the new year and ensure safety for the rugby match. New Orleans police will coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to establish a perimeter across the city.
Writing on social network terrorism” and will investigate in detail.
Authorities said two policemen were hit and injured. According to information from the police, the driver who caused the accident tried to hit as many people as possible. However, US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent Althea Duncan said that this was not a terrorist event.
