EID CAR SMASH
Muslim worshippers rush to help after out-of-control car ploughs into families at Eid prayer gathering in Newcastle leaving six injured just a week after Finsbury Park attack
THREE children and three adults have been rushed to hospital after a car crashed into a group of people at an Eid event in Newcastle this morning.
Footage shows terrified families running across a field after the smash, as cops swooped to arrest a 42-year-old woman.
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Police said they are not treating the incident as terror-related and believe it is an accident.
Tensions are running high after a van crashed into Muslims leaving a mosque in Finsbury Park, north London, in a terror attack on Monday.
One eyewitness claimed the car was brought to a halt when someone jumped in and pulled the handbrake on.
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Others said on Twitter the woman had accidentally accelerated instead of braking.
The incident unfolded just before 9.15am this morning and Northumbria Police told the crash was "an accident as far as we can see".
North East ambulance service said three children and three adults were rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary after the crash.
Footage shared on social media shows a man with a blood-soaked shirt walking through crowds gathered in the aftermath.
A police statement said: "Northumbria Police received reports that a vehicle had collided with pedestrians outside of Westgate Sports Centre.
"Police inquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what happened but, at this time, it is not believed to be a terror incident."
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The crash is reported to have happened in the sports centre's car park.
Eyewitness Asif Anwary, 29, told the Chronicle the driver "lost control of the car".
He said: "It was chaos, everyone was panicking people just don’t know what is going on these days.
“Terrorism is what everyone was thinking straight away.”
Umar Nyanzi said the car was eventually stopped when someone jumped in and pulled the handbrake on.
Another witness said the incident happened after prayers had finished and people were greeting each other.
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He said: "This woman came driving and just drove all over the people.
"The car was going on and people tried to stop the car.
"There were many injured people, two seriously."
Muslims across the world have been celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan today.
The Eid in the Open event had been organised by Newcastle Central Mosque.
A statement released afterwards said: "We pray and hope that all those affected recover soon fully.
";We thank the emergency medical services, the police and over 100 volunteers from the mosque for their quick response to the incident.
"We were able to clear the area promptly ensuring there was no delay in the injured being attended to.
"We urge everyone to please pray for all those affected."
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