WATCH: High-speed car-ramming attack in Germany, at least one dead

A high-speed car ramming attack in Mannheim, Germany, left at least one person dead and several others seriously injured, prompting police to lock down much of the city centre. 

Witnesses said a vehicle drove into a crowd on the Planken shopping street near the iconic water tower.

Police arrived quickly to the scene around Wasserturm and Plankenkopf, advising the public to avoid the area. 

The driver was arrested, and the police are monitoring roads and bridges leading out of the city, with submachine guns visible as officers stand guard. 

A helicopter has been spotted circling overhead during the heightened state of alert.

At least eight trauma teams, stationed at Mannheim University Hospital, are prepared to handle a possible mass-casualty incident. 

A hospital spokesperson confirmed that surgeries deemed postponable were immediately removed from the schedule to increase operating capacity, as both adult and paediatric care teams brace for incoming patients.

The incident comes during a season of carnival celebrations across Germany’s Rhineland region, where security concerns have been high following a series of violent attacks. 

These include recent car rammings in Magdeburg and Munich, as well as a stabbing in Mannheim last May. 

Police said they have been on heightened alert for this year’s carnival parades after social media accounts linked to the Islamic State militant group called for attacks in Cologne and Nuremberg.

Further updates are expected as authorities investigate the circumstances behind the deadly crash.