pedestrians injured Melbourne
© aling tiwari / YoutubePedestrians rammed in Melbourne
At least 3 people have been killed and 20 more injured after a vehicle was driven into a crowd of people in the center of Australia's second largest city Melbourne.

The incident happened at about 1:30pm local time near Bourke and Elizabeth streets in Melbourne's city centre emergency services said. An Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman confirmed that several people were struck by a car while Victoria Police said a number of people had been injured in the incident.


"At this stage it is believed a man driving a vehicle has struck a number of pedestrians in Bourke and Queens St just before 2pm," police said via Twitter.

"The exact circumstances surrounding the events are still being determined and we will provide further information when it comes to hand," a police spokeswoman said.

Police added that emergency services are assisting "multiple patients" with at least one person "confirmed deceased."


"Paramedics are treating up to 20 people injured when they were hit by a car in Bourke Street in the CBD," Victoria Ambulance said, adding that "some have serious injuries."



The cause of the incident is yet unclear. Several media reports suggest police units were chasing a rogue car when the vehicle ploughed through a crowd. Police reportedly fired shots before they seized the driver of the rogue vehicle.

Conflicting reports suggest the driver has either been detained or shot dead by police.

The area has been cordoned off and is now swarming with emergency services personnel.

Emergency services are treating the incident as a "mass casualty event," while hospitals have been put on "Code Red", according to the Australian.