A car drove into a crowd of people in the western German city of Mannheim on Monday, killing at least one person, injuring several others and overshadowing carnival celebrations in the region where police had been on alert for security attacks.

Police in Mannheim, Germany asked people to avoid the downtown area after a vehicle plowed into a crowd near a Carnival season event.

One person has been killed and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the western German city of Mannheim, police say Eyewitnesses in Mannheim have been speaking to local media, with one saying "all hell broke loose" following the incident.