At least ten people have been injured, two of them in very serious condition, after a car crashed into a group of fans who were gathered by a road in northern Sydney to cheer on a rugby team, according to Australian authorities who communicated this Saturday.
The New South Wales Police have updated the number of injured to ten, among whom are three minors: two five-year-old girls and another two-year-old. One of the five-year-old girls and a 67-year-old man remain in critical condition.
The security forces have opened an investigation to clarify what happened, although they have ruled out any terrorist links. Everything points to the incident being caused by an 18-year-old young man, who had just obtained his driver's license, who was arrested immediately after the hit-and-run.
According to the police version, the young man had been driving recklessly before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the crowd. In addition, the driver was already known to the authorities and, according to the officers, was driving "erratically" on his way to the gathering place.
"There is nothing more than a tragic incident in which a young man acted recklessly, drove erratically and, obviously, lost control of the vehicle while hitting the crowd, but there is no indication that it was a premeditated attack or that there was any bad intention," said the Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police, David Waddell.
The police command also explained that there were two other passengers in the car, who were pulled out of the vehicle by the officers after the hit-and-run, after several witnesses turned "hostile" towards the young men.
The novice driver was arrested at the same point of the incident and subsequently taken to a hospital to undergo mandatory alcohol and drug tests. Waddell has indicated that the young man is expected to be formally charged in the coming hours.
"My thoughts are with all those injured or involved in the horrible incident this morning in Newcastle. I want to acknowledge and thank the emergency services and the police for responding so quickly, and for their ongoing work in attending to the injured. Rugby brings people together, and this should have been a weekend of excitement and pride for Newcastle fans," commented Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a post on his social media.
For his part, the mayor of Newcastle, Gavin Morris, lamented the "tragedy" and stated that what happened "is something that cannot be undone."
The collision took place during a massive farewell to the team bus before the league final on Sunday. Throughout the week, thousands of supporters had accompanied the team in their training sessions, and this Saturday morning, hundreds of fans had gathered in the streets to follow the bus's departure, whose route had to be modified after the incident.