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A 'terror attack' is feared in Berlin after a lorry ploughed through a crowded Christmas market, killing and injuring dozens of revellers.

Police said at least nine people died and up to 50 others were injured when the huge vehicle smashed into wooden booths selling mulled wine and sausages outside the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the centre of the city.

The suspected driver was arrested after fleeing the scene of the crash and a man who was a passenger died as the truck crashed into the crowd and sent visitors running for their lives.

Police said they are still investigating whether the tragedy less than a week before Christmas was a terror attack or an accident, and have asked people to stay at home out of caution.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS) (Image: AFP)

Earlier police had said it appeared to have been a deliberate act.

Eyewitnesses said it appeared the truck was travelling at 40mph and didn't brake when it veered into the market and ploughed into shoppers at one of the most crowded times.

British tourist Emma Rushton told Sky News that she saw at least 10 injured people on the ground in the immediate aftermath.

She said she was about eight feet from the lorry, adding: "The stall that we bought our mulled wine from was completely crushed. People were tearing off wooden panels to get out."

She added: "It was not an accident. It was going 40mph, it was in the middle of the market. There was no way that it could have come off the road and it showed no signs of slowing down."

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(Image: Getty)

(Image: REUTERS)

(Image: REUTERS)

As chaos unfolded terrified market-goers tweeted panicked photos and video from the scene of the incident.

The damaged black truck had a smashed windscreen and left a trail of debris after crashing through traditional stands and running over pedestrians.

The incident evoked memories of an attack in Nice, France, in July when a Tunisian-born man drove a 19-tonne truck along the beach front, mowing down people who had gathered to watch the fireworks on Bastille Day, killing 86 people.

That attack was claimed by ISIS.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: Getty)

Julian Reichelt, editor in chief of Bild Berlin, said a massive security operation underway.

He said: "The scene certainly looks like a reminder of what we have seen in Nice."

A Berliner Morgenpost reporter described the scene shortly after the truck ploughed into the crowd as eerily silent and said some injured shoppers sat in front of stalls and held each other.

Facebook activated a safety check feature that travellers and locals could use to let their family and friends know that they were safe.

(Image: AFP) (Image: AFP)

The lorry was registered to a company in Poland, and the firm's owner claimed he had lost contact with the truck, which was transporting steel, earlier in the day.

Ariel Zurawski claimed his cousin had been driving the lorry from Poland to Germany.

He told AFP his cousin was missing, adding: “We haven’t heard from him since this afternoon. We don’t know what happened to him.

“He’s my cousin, I’ve known him since I was a kid. I can vouch for him.”

Mr Zurawski told TVN24: They must have done something to my driver."

(Image: Getty)

A government spokesman said Chancellor Angela Merkel was being briefed by her interior minister and the Berlin mayor on the situation.

Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "I'm deeply shaken about the horrible news of what occurred at the memorial church in Berlin.

"Many people who visited the Christmas market today have died and even more are injured."

Video from the scene shows a huge articulated lorry smashed into the middle of the market on Berlin's Breitscheidplatz.

The incident occurred at about 8pm with the truck coming in from Kantstrasse destroying booths along the way.

According to information from Die Welt, there have been suspicions of a potential attack on Berlin for days.

Germany's Christmas markets have been feared as a key target for jihadis following a series of other Islamist terror attacks in Germany and elsewhere in Europe this year.

Last month the US State Department warned tourists about the risk of a terror attack at Christmas markets in Europe.

After the incident the White House said: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms what appears to have been a terrorist attack on a Christmas Market in Berlin, Germany, which has killed and wounded dozens."

The Foreign Office has warned Brits travelling to Germany of a high risk from terrorism.

(Image: Getty) (Image: REUTERS)

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In advice updated after the crash, it said: "There may be increased security in place over the Christmas and New Year period, including at Christmas markets and other major events that might attract large crowds.

"You should remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are urgently investigating reports of an incident near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin and are in close contact with local authorities."

Speaking in the House of Commons, shadow Brexit minister Paul Blomfield expressed "solidarity" with the people of Germany.

The Labour MP said: "I'm sure that I speak on behalf of the whole House in expressing our solidarity at this time with the German people and expressing our shared commitment to work together to oppose all those who challenge the democratic values that we share across Europe."

Julian King, European commissioner for the security union, tweeted: "My thoughts are with all those affected and their families in Berlin tonight."

President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said he was "deeply saddened" by news of fatalities in the German capital and said: "Europe stands ready to help".