At least one person has died and 16 people were injured, "some seriously", police said, after a vehicle was suspected of striking a crowd near Berlin's annual Pride event, Christopher Street Day (CSD), on Saturday night.

"We believe that a vehicle entered the Tiergarten park and hit several people," police said on social media.

Berlin's CSD is one of Europe's biggest Pride events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world each year.

What do we know about the incident at the Berlin CSD event?

Three of the 16 injured had suffered "life-threatening injuries," police spokesperson Florian Nath told reporters at the scene.

He added that more than 2,200 personnel were involved in the police response, including officers from Hamburg and other federal states.

It was unclear whether there was one or multiple perpetrators, Nath said, confirming that a manhunt was underway. No arrests have been made yet.

The vehicle in question is a white minivan or compact SUV, he said.

DW reporters on the scene in Berlin said police officers armed with machine guns were patrolling the streets of the German capital.

Police said early on Sunday morning that the Tiergarten remained closed off and that the operation to clear the area was "gradually winding down."

"We are now piecing together the facts based on the evidence found at the scene. The search radius covers the entire city," Nath said. "We need to use daylight tomorrow to meticulously examine the evidence."

Berlin mayor, Chancellor Merz condemn 'horrific' act

Police have not commented on whether the incident was intentional or if the CSD was the target.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner, however, who visited the scene, described it as "an attack on our free and open society."

"After a peaceful and colorful CSD, the assembly for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal way. Berlin is the city of freedom, and our freedom has been attacked in the most horrific way today," Wegner said on X.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also condemned what he called a "horrific act."

In a statement, Merz said he and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt would ensure "this horrific act is fully investigated and punished."

Pride parade participants told to 'go home, please'

Hundreds of thousands of people had taken to the streets of Berlin on Saturday to advocate for tolerance and diversity, culminating in concerts at the Brandenburg Gate.

The event was called off around 10:15 p.m., and a band's performance was interrupted. Authorities urged people to "go home, please," and avoid routes through Tiergarten.

The CSD parade ended on 17 June Street, which crosses Berlin's Tiergarten to the Brandenburg Gate. The Gate has been the venue for concerts since Friday.

Berlin's CSD was first held in 1979, making it Germany's oldest Pride event.

It has evolved from a small protest into a major fixture of the city's cultural and political calendar.

Edited by: Zac Crellin

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