At least 30 people have been injured after a car drove into a carnival parade in Germany in what has been described as a deliberate crash, according to local reports.

The driver of the car has been arrested and children are among the injured people at the scene in Volkmarsen, about 280km southwest of Berlin, police have said.

The German newspaper Bild has reported that about a third of those injured have been seriously hurt, although an exact number of serious injuries has not been confirmed by authorities.

Henning Hinn, a police spokesperson, has said officials are working “on the assumption that it was a deliberate act”.

“There were several dozen injured, among them some seriously and sadly also children,” Mr Hinn said, adding that some of the injuries were life-threatening.

Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting People hold a banner while attending a vigil for the victims of a shooting that left several people dead in Hanau near Frankfurt, as mourners march in Berlin, Germany, February 20, 2020. The banner reads "Everyone together against right-wing terror". REUTERS/Christian Mang CHRISTIAN MANG REUTERS Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting epa08232128 Mourners place candles and flowers at the Unity Memorial as people attend a vigil after the Hanau terror attack at the St. Paul's Church in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 20 February 2020. According to the police, the alleged perpetrator of a terror attack in Hanau was found dead with a second dead person in his apartment. The number of victims killed at two crime scenes in the late night of 19 February increased to nine, so that the police speak of a total of eleven deaths. EPA/MAXIMILIAN VON LACHNER MAXIMILIAN VON LACHNER EPA Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting epa08232132 Candles and flowers placed at the Unity Memorial as people attend a vigil after the Hanau terror attack at the St. Paul's Church in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 20 February 2020. According to the police, the alleged perpetrator of a terror attack in Hanau was found dead with a second dead person in his apartment. The number of victims killed at two crime scenes in the late night of 19 February increased to nine, so that the police speak of a total of eleven deaths. EPA/MAXIMILIAN VON LACHNER MAXIMILIAN VON LACHNER EPA Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting A photo is placed between candles and flowers at a monument after a vigil for the victims of the shooting in Hanau, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. A 43-year-old German man shot and killed several people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb overnight in attacks that appear to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Martin Meissner AP Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting Thousands listen to German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier during a vigil on the market place for the victims of the shooting in Hanau, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. A 43-year-old German man shot and killed several people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb overnight in attacks that appear to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Martin Meissner AP Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting A photo is placed between candles and flowers at a monument after a vigil for the victims of the shooting in Hanau, Germany, Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. A 43-year-old German man shot and killed several people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb overnight in attacks that appear to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Martin Meissner AP Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting HANAU, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 20: Relatives hold up photos of the victims at a vigil near the Midnight shisha bar, one of the sites of last night's shootings, on February 20, 2020 in Hanau, Germany. A total of 11 people are confirmed dead after an attacker reportedly shot nine people dead starting around 10pm in two different shisha bars in Hanau. Police later discovered the suspected shooter and another person dead in the suspect's apartment. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** Thomas Lohnes Getty Images Thousands in Germany attend vigils for victims of far-right shooting HANAU, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 20: People put candles and flowers at the 'Brueder Grimm' monument after a vigil for the vicitms near the Midnight shisha bar, one of the sites of last night's shootings, on February 20, 2020 in Hanau, Germany. A total of 11 people are confirmed dead after an attacker reportedly shot nine people dead starting around 10pm in two different shisha bars in Hanau. Police later discovered the suspected shooter and another person dead in the suspect's apartment. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images) Thomas Lohnes Getty Images

The incident occurred during “Rosenmontagszug”, a German carnival parade which takes place in cities across the country on the Monday before Ash Wednesday.

It comes less than a week after a gunman shot down 11 people, including himself, in one of the worst racist attacks in Germany since the Second World War.

Earlier on Monday, commentary on racism featured prominently among carnival floats in western German cities following the far-right attack in Hanau near Frankfurt last week.

In Cologne, one float depicted a weeping carnival jester holding a heart with the slogan “our heart beats for Hanau”.

In a joint statement from the General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt and police in the state of Hesse, officials said the motive of the crash was being investigated.

“The investigation – especially on the background of the crime – is ongoing,” the statement said.

“No information can currently be given on the motive in particular; it is determined in all directions.”

The suspect is a 29-year-old German citizen who has received medical treatement due to injuries suffered in connection to the incident.

The regional Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper reported soon after the crash that witnesses said the driver drove around a barrier blocking off traffic from the parade.

German media has also cited witnesses who said they had the impression that the driver was targetting children – however, this has not been confirmed by authorities.

Video from the scene showed a silver Mercedes station wagon with local license plates and its hazard lights blinking on the pavement, while emergency crews walked by.