A car crashed into a group of rugby league fans in Newcastle, eastern Australia, injuring nine people, including one child, according to local officials.
The crowd had gathered to cheer on and send off the city’s rugby league team, the Newcastle Knights, before their scheduled championship final against the Sydney Roosters this Sunday.
Gavin Morris, the mayor of Newcastle, said the driver was a rugby fan who lost control of the vehicle and has since been taken into police custody.
"He accelerated, he was excited, and as a fan celebrating at the time, he lost control of the car and crashed into the crowd," Morris told Australia’s ABC television, adding that among the injured was one child.
A spokesperson for the ambulance service told AFP that one injured person is in critical condition, another is stable but still concerning, and the remaining seven are now in safe condition.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted on X, "I send my thoughts to those injured and everyone affected by the tragic incident in Newcastle this morning."
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