(CNN) A white van plowed into pedestrians in Toronto's bustling North York area on Monday, killing 10 people and leaving eyewitnesses traumatized.

Witnesses said there was pandemonium after the vehicle collided with people crossing a busy intersection at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, mounting the sidewalk and leaving a trail of destruction almost a mile long.

Chelsea Luelo, who works at Capriccio Café, saw the incident unfold and said she thought the driver was hitting people intentionally: "It looked like he was going straight, halfway through the sidewalk."

"Everyone was going crazy," a witness told CNN network partner CTV, saying the vehicle was going up to 45 miles an hour (70 km/h) when it hid the crowd.

The man, who was overcome with emotion by the horror he had seen, was driving at the time and said he at first thought the driver was having a heart attack until he saw the white van speeding and striking people on the sidewalk.

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