Car ploughs into crowd during Liverpool victory parade

A car ploughed into a crowd in Liverpool on Monday during a parade to celebrate Liverpool's Premier League football title, emergency services said.

Merseyside Police in northwest England said they were contacted just after 6:00 pm (1700 GMT) "following reports a car been in collision with a number of pedestrians".

"The car stopped at the scene and a male has been detained," the force said in a statement.

An AFP journalist saw at least four people taken away on stretchers.

Social media footage appeared to show a dark-coloured car swerving into the dense crowd, at the end of jubilant celebrations as players showed off the trophy on an open-topped bus through the city.

Crowds and uniformed police officers quickly surrounded the vehicle, and several people who lay on the ground.

Cordons were then put in place and a fire engine was also at the scene.

North West Ambulance Service said its crews were "assessing the situation" with other emergency services.

"Our priority is to ensure people receive the medical help they need as quickly as possible," a statement read.

Monday turned into a nationwide day of celebration for English football fans, with supporters of Liverpool, Crystal Palace, and Arsenal Women turning out in force to mark their teams’ title triumphs.

The festivities began in north London, where thousands gathered outside Emirates Stadium to welcome home Arsenal Women. The team had just returned from Lisbon after defeating Barcelona 1-0 in Saturday’s UEFA Women’s Champions League final. Wearing shirts that read “Champions 25,” the players—some sporting sunglasses despite the overcast sky—were introduced individually on stage to roaring cheers.

In south London, Crystal Palace fans lined the streets as a team bus wound its way to Selhurst Park. Around 20,000 people turned out to celebrate the club’s FA Cup victory—Palace's first major trophy in its 119-year history—after their 1-0 win over Manchester City on May 17.