A memorial service was held on Saturday evening in the German city of Magdeburg to mourn the victims of a tragic attack at a Christmas market on Friday night. A car rammed into a crowd, killing at least five people and injuring approximately 200 others.
The service took place at the city’s cathedral and was intended primarily for the victims’ relatives, emergency responders, and invited guests, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Outside the cathedral, mourners gathered to lay flowers and light candles in remembrance of the victims.
To mark the tragedy, church bells tolled across Magdeburg at 7:04 p.m.—the exact time the attack occurred a day earlier.
Victims Include 9-Year-Old Child
A 9-year-old child was among the five people killed in the attack, confirmed Horst Walter Nopens, head of the local public prosecutor’s office. He did not disclose further details about the four adult victims.
He stated that approximately 200 people sustained injuries, many of them serious. Authorities warned that the death toll could rise.
According to German media reports, the attack lasted roughly three minutes. The emergency route used by the perpetrator was not secured with barriers, raising concerns about safety measures at public events.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the incident as “a terrible tragedy to harm and kill so many people with such brutality.” He called for social cohesion and vowed that Germany would respond to the attack “with the full force of the law.”
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Memorial service held for victims of car attack at German market
cgtn.com
