Several people have been injured after a car ploughed into crowds walking in a city centre on Saturday afternoon. Seven people were injured in an incident in the city centre of Modena, central Italy, with four of them believed to be in critical condition.

A car travelling at high speed from Largo Garibaldi reportedly struck several pedestrians on Via Emilia Centro. The car then ploughed into a pedestrian in Porta Bologna before crashing against a shopping window, according to news outlet Il Rest del Carlino. The alleged driver is then believed to have fled the vehicle. Local reports suggest the driver then attempted to stab a passerby who tried to intervene and stop them.

Mayor Massimo Mezzetti, who attended the scene, described the incident as "a grave act, dramatic, which hit our city in the heart".

The two seriously injured people have been transported to the Maggiore hospital in Bologna, Mayor Mezzetti confirmed. A man has been arrested following the incident and is being questioned by police.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is said to be closely monitoring the situation in Modena and remains in communication with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi as well as with undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council Alfredo Mantovano.