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The German police force announced via their Twitter account that incident is a "deliberate" suspected terror attack on German shoppers. Counter-terrorism forces have taken over the investigation while security forces are set to step-up their security efforts across Germany and the rest of Europe. Berliners were warned to stay indoors in the aftermath of the alleged attack. A witness said "people are crushed" while another said people are passed out on the ground underneath the articulated truck. Videos and pictures emerging online have shown market stalls crushed by the huge lorry and emergency services trying to rescue the injured. Unconfirmed reports claim the suspected driver of the truck is from Afghanistan or Pakistan and entered the country as a refugee in February. The driver is now being interrogated by officers after he tried to run from the scene before being arrested, police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf said.

Twitter Berlin: Truck crashes into crowds in Berlin at Christmas market

The truck drove up the Budapester Strasse onto the footpath and came to a stop before the gigantic Norwegian Christmas fir tree erected just a week ago. Police said there are more than 48 people injured, many of them seriously, following the attack which is a copycat of the lorry carnage in Nice earlier this year. An eye witness has said the lorry had no lights on when it smashed into the market causing horror scenes.

EPA The truck was owned by a Polish company

EPA According to reports the truck driver is a refugee

He said: “He just drove onto the square from the Kant street. “That had to have been intentional, because his lights were not switched on. And then I just heard this loud bang and hysterical screaming." At least 48 people are believed to be injured and locals are reporting several fatalities.

TWITTER Police have descended on Berlin street after lorry smashed into market

Police said on Twitter the truck was seen mounting the pavement. They wrote in a tweet: “Just now a truck drove across the pavement at the #Breitscheidplatz. Our colleagues report injured people. More infos to follow here." A DPA photographer reported police officers with automatic guns at the lion gate of the zoo. News outlets said the driver was on the run after the incident at the market at the foot of the Memorial Church near the Zoologischer Garten station. A driver in Poland said he believes the driver should have been delivering steel to Berlin.

The lorry belongs to a construction site in Poland, Berlin police confirmed, although it is not apparent if the passenger was killed before the crash. The company which owns the truck confirmed that the person who was supposed to be driving the the truck was 37-years-old and had been transporting Thyssen steel products from Italy to Berlin. Lukasz Wasik, transport manager for the Polish haulage firm, said: “The company where he was supposed to unload the products in Berlin was not able to receive them and told him to return on Tuesday morning. They told him to wait in Berlin somewhere. “We lost contact with him around 3pm local time [2pm GMT]. We don’t know what happened – whether he was taken hostage, killed. We know nothing. We’re very worried about him. What a tragedy.” Ariel Zurawski said he was still in touch with the driver, his cousin, at noon. However, he said at 4pm he tried it again but could not reach him - adding to suspicions the truck may have been stolen or hijacked. Mr Zurawski said there should only have been one driver in the truck. The passenger found dead in the truck has been confirmed as a Polish and he was not driving the vehicle at the time of the suspected attack.

REUTERS The lorry driver is believed to have been killed by a hijacker

Jan Hollitzer, deputy editor in chief of Berliner Morgenpost, told CNN: "I heard a big noise and then I moved on the Christmas market and saw much chaos... many injured people. "It was really traumatic." A firefighter said on Periscope the truck had a Polish numberplate. According to the mayor in charge Michael Müller (SPD) the situation is now under control. Mr Müller said he was “shocked” at the “dramatic” scenes. German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to come under fire after it was revealed she was warned Christmas markets may be attacked. Intelligence agencies in Britain were given the same warning and France has confirmed in the aftermath of the devastation in Berlin they will step up security.

REUTERS The driver of a lorry which hit and killed several people has reportedly been arrested

My thoughts & condolences are w/ the people of #Germany following tonight's terrible tragedy in #Berlin, leaving so many dead & injured. — Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 19, 2016

Minister for Foreign Affairs for Germany Frank Walter Steinmeier said: "Many people who have visited the Christmas market this evening have lost their lives, even more were injured. “We do not know yet with certainty what really happened this evening. “The security authorities are working at full speed to secure the accident scene and to find the perpetrator."

GETTY The market in Berlin is at the foot of the Memorial Church near the Zoologischer Garte

LKW rast in Menschenmenge. Schwerverletzte und Tote. Unfassbar! Bestürzend! pic.twitter.com/GolBFy6bcw — Gregor Wodarz (@WodarzG) December 19, 2016

TWITTER Many are injured in Berlin after a lorry hit a Christmas market

It was going 40 mph and it wasn't near a road and made no attempt to break Witness

Witness Emma Rushton said on Twitter the incident happened quickly. She wrote: “It was going 40 mph and it wasn't near a road and made no attempt to break.” Local newspaper Berlin Morgen post said police confirmed the incident in Breitscheidplatz, Berlin-Charlottenburg. The FCO has warned Britons there is a high threat of terrorism in Berlin and that the German government is putting a precautions in place. Tourists and locals have both been advised to avoid the crash site near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

Around 2million Britons travel to Germany each year, according to the Foreign Office. The incident comes as Brussels streets were put on lockdown as police descended. The area has been sealed off and an area set up for relatives of the injured.

REUTERS Emergency services have rushed to the scene as lorry crashed into Christmas market

The incident evoked memories of an attack in France in July when Tunisian-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel 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. Police shot the driver dead in the Nice attack claimed by Islamic State. Television pictures from Berlin showed the truck standing amid debris by small wooden stalls that make up the "Christkindlmarkt" of which there are several in Berlin at this time of year. Police cars and ambulances converged on the scene.

BERLIN TERROR: 'TWELVE' dead as truck crashed into crowd at Christmas market Tue, December 20, 2016 A truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin killing at least 12 and injuring 48 Play slideshow REUTERS•AFP 1 of 21 A truck crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin killing at least 12 and injuring 48

Owners of the Christmas market – which has around 100 stands and 70 fairground rides – said it will be closed indefinitely. German chancellor Angela Merkel is currently being briefed on the incident. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson Tweeted about the attack. He said: “My thoughts & condolences are w/ the people of #Germany following tonight's terrible tragedy in #Berlin, leaving so many dead & injured.”

REUTERS Pictures show authorities searching the vehicle

President-elect Donald Trump issued a statement on the events in Berlin. His statement read: “Our hearts and prayers are with the loved ones of the victims of today’s horrifying terror attack in Berlin. Innocent civilians were murdered in the streets as they prepared to celebrate the Christmas holiday. “Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad. “These terrorists and their regional and worldwide networks must be eradicated from the face of the earth, a mission we will carry out with all freedom-loving partners.”