Car runs over group of people in France, two dead

Two people were killed and nine others injured when a car ploughed into a group of people in the northwestern French city of Cannes, AFP reported.

The incident occurred at around 10:15 p.m. on August 26 near the Cannes train station. According to the prefect of Calvados, the driver deliberately drove his car into pedestrians standing in the street in front of the station. The Cannes security service confirmed that all the victims were men aged between 17 and 36.

Two people died, seven were seriously injured and two were slightly injured. One of the dead was a 35-year-old and the other was a 28-year-old Afghan national. The injured included citizens of France, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sudan, some of whom suffered broken legs.

According to initial reports, a fight broke out in a bar near the station before the incident. The suspect returned in his car after being beaten by a group of people. He entered the bus lane and drove his car into people standing under the stop. In addition to the participants in the brawl, other passengers waiting for transport were also injured as a result of the impact.

According to law enforcement agencies, the driver of the car was a 26-year-old man of Russian origin. He was legally resident in France. After running over pedestrians, the suspect fled the scene, but was arrested shortly after in the port city of Ouistreham, 20 kilometers from the scene of the incident. The man was not drunk at the time of the incident. He had previously been under police supervision for traffic violations, but was not registered.

During questioning, the man said that he had been subjected to violence in the station area before the incident. According to the prosecutor of Cannes, Joel Garrig, these statements of the suspect will be examined in detail.

An investigation has been launched into the incident under the articles of murder and intentional violence using a vehicle as a weapon. Police said that they did not yet consider it an act of terrorism, but that the investigation had only just begun.

In May 2025, 13 people were injured when a car drove into Espanyol fans in Barcelona. That month, a car drove into Liverpool fans at a parade to celebrate the English championship. After the accident, 27 people were hospitalized, two of whom were in critical condition.