MOSCOW, December 23 (Sputnik) – Six people have been killed and eight more are receiving treatment for their injuries in three Glasgow city hospitals as a result of a major road accident, according to the police.
Sadly, six people have died as a result of the #GeorgeSquare major road incident. A further update will be issued in due course.
— Police Scotland (@policescotland) 22 декабря 2014
A garbage truck ran off the road onto a sidewalk and crashed into the Millennium hotel near Queen Street Railway Station in the city’s center on Monday. The sidewalk outside the hotel had been packed with Christmas shoppers waiting to cross the road.
Eight people receiving treatment for their injuries across three Glasgow city hospitals. We will update further when we can. #georgesquare
— Police Scotland (@policescotland) 22 декабря 2014
Initial reports suggested that the driver lost control of the vehicle.
Superintendent Stewart Carle of Police Scotland told the Associated Press that the tragedy appeared to be "a road traffic accident, nothing more sinister."
"For now it does not look to be a criminal or deliberate act that has taken place here this afternoon, but we need to have time to investigate it," AP quotes him as saying.
He added that the truck driver is being treated in a nearby hospital.
The area and nearby streets have been blocked to allow six ambulance vehicles to get to those who were hit.
Here's a map of the Road Closures surrounding #GeorgeSquare this morning. #Glasgow pic.twitter.com/EvkADov0Jo
— Clyde 1 (@1025Clyde1) 23 декабря 2014
There were different witness accounts of the accident with some saying that the lorry was knocking people down "like pinballs".
"There was debris getting thrown in the air and my first instinct was to pull my girlfriend out of the way. And it just happened so fast," The Telegraph quotes another witness, David Lyon, as describing.
