At least 10 people have been killed and 30 injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans’ Canal and Bourbon streets in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
The city’s emergency preparedness agency, NOLA Ready, told people to stay away from the area. It said the injured had been taken to five hospitals.
New Orleans police earlier said they were responding to a mass casualty incident, including fatalities.
Witnesses have told of the horror scenes and hearing possible gunshots as the drama unfolded.
“All I seen was a truck slamming into everyone on the left side of Bourbon sidewalk,” said Kevin Garcia, 22, speaking to CNN shortly after the incident.
“A body came flying at me,” he said, adding that he also heard gunshots being fired.
Another witness, 22-year-old Whit Davis from Shreveport, Louisiana, told CNN the incident occurred while she was at a nightclub on Bourbon Street.
“Everyone started yelling and screaming and running to the back, and then we basically went into lockdown for a little bit and then it calmed down but they wouldn’t let us leave,” Davis said.
“When they finally let us out of the club, police waved us where to walk and were telling us to get out of the area fast. I saw a few dead bodies they couldn’t even cover up and tons of people receiving first aid.”
Police told people on the scene to put their phones away and leave as soon as possible, Davis said.
The incident came toward the end of New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans and hours before the kickoff of the AllState Bowl, a college football quarter-final held in the city’s Caesars Superdome, with thousands expected to be in attendance.
