WASHINGTON, Oct 25 — A speeding car crashed into a crowd watching a parade in the US state of Oklahoma yesterday, killing three people and injuring 22 others, police said.
The driver of the vehicle is in custody following the incident at an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade, according to police in the town of Stillwater.
Police told AFP that the driver, a 25-year-old woman, was arrested for driving under the influence.
Of the 22 people injured, eight are in critical condition, police said, declining to provide any details on the deceased.
The Stillwater News Press quoted one witness as saying that, at first, people thought the car was part of the show. But then panic ensued.
“People were flying 30 feet (10 metres) into the air like rag dolls,” the newspaper quoted Konda Walker as saying.
Police Captain Kyle Gibbs told reporters that an accident reconstruction team was sent to the scene and that the probe into what happened would be treated as a homicide investigation.
Governor Mary Fallin, using the hashtag “OklahomaStrong,” announced on Twitter that she was headed to Stillwater and that multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in determining what led to the incident.
“My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic events at @okstate today,” she tweeted.
The university said it was “saddened by the tragic parade incident earlier this morning. Our thoughts & prayers are with those affected.”
However, officials decided to still host the homecoming game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Kansas Jayhawks.
“We're going to move forward,” OSU president Burns Hargis was quoted as saying by local broadcaster News On 6.
Many US colleges and universities hold homecoming festivities — annual celebrations for past and current students — and News On 6 reported that OSU's are believed to be among the largest in the country, with tens of thousands taking part every year. — AFP
