Up to six people have been injured after a car mounted the pavement and struck pedestrians in north London.
Pictures from the scene in Stamford Hill, Hackney, show a severely damaged vehicle with its bonnet smashed in, wedged against the side of a tree.
Further up the road, paramedics were seen treating another apparent casualty next to a bus stop.
London Fire Brigade said six people were treated at the scene while paramedics say they treated five, including the driver.
One eyewitness said the driver of the car, who looked to be in his early 60s, was in ‘shock’ after the crash and was overheard telling police his brakes had failed.
The witness, who asked not to be named, said: ‘I heard a bang, that was when the car hit the bus stop. The car was on the kerb and I saw two people flying in mid-air.
‘After that he hit a Mitsubishi parked over there and his car did a 90-degree rotation. Another guy on crutches got hit.
‘A few elderly Jewish gentlemen helped him out the car, people in the shop came out to help.
‘I called police and they were here in two or three minutes. I saw five people getting treated including the driver. He was an older-looking man in shock.’
Earlier The Met Police confirmed the incident was not being treated as terror-related. No one has been arrested.
A statement from the London Fire Brigade said: ‘Firefighters were called to a road traffic collision on Stamford Hill in Hackney this morning (11 December).
‘One car left the road and collided with a number of pedestrians. Six people were treated on scene by firefighters and London Ambulance Service crews and they were all taken to hospital.
‘The Brigade was called at 0938 and the incident was over for fire crews by 1029. Two fire engines from Stoke Newington and Tottenham fire stations and a fire rescue unit from Islington Fire Station were at the scene.’
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At around midday, police were still on scene and have cordoned off a large part of the busy road.
They were examining the scene as passers-by – many from the orthodox Jewish community – watched on.
What appeared to be broken glass could be seen surrounding a partially-ruined bus stop.
Around 20 yards away, a damaged silver Toyota car was in front of a mini-market, its front bonnet completely crumpled and windscreen smashed.
The London Ambulance Service said it was called at 9.37am ‘to reports of a road traffic collision involving a car and pedestrians on Stamford Hill.’
A spokesperson said: ‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including six ambulance crews, an incident response officer, a medic in a car, a team leader and our hazardous area response teams. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance by car.
‘Five adults were treated at the scene, and we took four to a major trauma centre. Another person was also taken to hospital by an Hatzola ambulance crew.’
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