Car rams into eight pedestrians before ‘driver stabs bystander’ in Italian city centre

Eight people are injured after a car ploughed into pedestrians in the city of Modena in Italy.

The driver of the car then fled the scene and proceeded to stab a bystander who attempted to intervene and stop him.

The incident took place this afternoon in the Largo Porta Bologna area of the city, when a speeding car can be seen crashing into pedestrians before going into the window of a department store.

Two of the eight are seriously injured, with them being airlifted to the Maggiore Hospital in Bologna, with one woman who was crushed by the car is possibly facing amputation of both legs.

The driver, who was also injured from the collision, was apprehended by the police and has been taken into police custody for questioning, Il Tirreno reports.

The city's mayor Massimo Mezzetti attended the scene and said: "Fortunately, no one was killed, but eight people were injured, two of them seriously.

"One woman will likely have to have both legs amputated - she was crushed against the shop window."

He said he had no confirmed details on the identity of the driver, though some witnesses told him the man appeared to be of North African origin.

The mayor added it remained unclear whether the driver had been under the influence of drugs or whether the act had been deliberate.

Footage from the scene showed a badly damaged silver Citroen with its front severely smashed, surrounded by debris on the pavement outside the store.

The city centre was placed on lockdown following the incident as emergency services attended the scene.

Police are continuing to question the suspect to determine the circumstances and motive behind the attack.

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